Former President Donald J. Trump’s recent disingenuous assertions about Vice President Kamala Harris’s racial identity arrive at a moment when the number of Americans identifying as multiracial is increasing at an unprecedented rate.
Trump’s comments underscore a persistent misunderstanding among some Americans about the complexities of multiracial identities and how these identities shape individuals’ lives. At the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention on Wednesday, Trump suggested, without evidence, that Harris “became a Black person” after previously identifying primarily as Indian. “I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” he asked reporters.
In reality, Vice President Harris often speaks about her heritage as the daughter of an Indian immigrant mother and a Jamaican immigrant father. She is a graduate of Howard University, a historically Black college, a member of the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, and was part of the Congressional Black Caucus during her tenure as a U.S. senator.
What do Trump’s comments reflect?
Experts say Trump’s comments reflect a common misconception about racial identity in the United States. According to a report from Axios, Jasmine Mitchell, a professor of Puerto Rican and Latino studies at Brooklyn College, noted that the mixing of races is far from new in the Americas. “It has been a common practice for centuries,” she said.
Annabelle Lin Atkin, an assistant professor of Human Development and Family Science at Purdue University, stated that multiracial people like Harris challenge long-standing racial hierarchies. “We live within this mono-racial framework where we assume that race is mutually exclusive… you can only check one box on the form. Our society has functioned this way for such a long time that people have a hard time understanding that this is changing.”
Number of people identifying as multi-racial is surging
According to the U.S. Census, people identifying as multiracial are among the fastest-growing segments of the population. The 2020 Census reported a dramatic increase in the multiracial population, from 9 million in 2010 to 33.8 million a decade later — a 276 percent surge!
Trump’s remarks not only misrepresent Harris’s identity but also fail to acknowledge significant demographic changes. As more Americans identify as multiracial, it becomes crucial to understand and respect the complexities of their identities.
The growing multiracial population in the United States is reshaping societal norms and expectations about race, challenging outdated notions of racial exclusivity and hierarchy. Harris’s diverse background and her prominence in American politics symbolize this shift and highlight the importance of embracing a more nuanced understanding of racial identity.
Trump’s Misguided Attack on Harris Comes Amid Surge in US Multiracial Population world-news, us World News | Latest International Global World News | Todays Breaking News Headlines
