I’ll Vote for Kamala Harris, But Her Awful History Can’t Be Forgotten

Let me preface this by saying that I am still going to vote for Kamala Harris, as Donald Trump is a worse alternative. However, Kamala’s legacy helped destroy many Black and Brown communities, and, honestly, she doesn’t deserve my vote.

The idea of the first biracial woman president is a good one. American politics does need diversity and a chance for more women of color to steer the conversation toward helping marginalized people. However, Kamala is not a champion for marginalized people at all.

Kamala had an interview with talk show and podcast host Charlemagne tha God on October 15, 2024, where she was questioned on her legacy as California’s state prosecutor (via NPR). Despite numerous complaints weighed against her by BIPOC, Kamala adamantly defended her legacy, arguing that she ultimately helped these communities.

There’s a lot wrong with this. No, Kamala did not help Black and Brown communities. As revealed by CBS News, Kamala tried to get parents of truant children sent to jail. She claimed this was to improve school attendance, but many social activists and critics of the policy argued it was aimed at punishing impoverished communities, as truancy hits them the hardest usually.

Kamala has also been back and forth on important issues like the death penalty, with her being against it for a few years, only to flip flop and appeal a Supreme Court attempt to make it unconstitutional back in 2014.

As reported by The American Prospect, Kamala fought hard to keep non-violent prisoners in prison as well. In 2011, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Plata that California state had to reduce its prison populations by “137.5% of design capacity in two years. As State Attorney, Kamala was at the forefront of stalling and pushing back against this initiative, arguing that the Supreme Court did not have the right to make such an order to begin with.

While Kamala is our best hope at defeating Trump, I am tired of always choosing the lesser of two evils. I am tired of white people who do not share my lived experiences defending much of the damage Kamala has done to marginalized communities. I do not think her presidency will usher in any real liberation for anyone, really, and the Democratic party needs to move beyond “not Trump” politics at this rate. After Trump leaves, what else will we have left?

Moving forward as a country and people requires acknowledging that some of those who lead us aren’t always the best suited for the job. I look forward to the day that we get a marginalized president who truly cares about us.