Kamala Harris stands strong against racist attacks, affirms readiness to lead

By Stacy M. Brown
Contributing Writer

(NNPA Newswire) — In the face of a sustained Republican campaign to stoke fears among white voters, Vice President Kamala Harris remains resolute, highlighting her trailblazing achievements and defending her legacy against racially charged attacks.

Prominent figures within the Republican Party have continued the GOP’s attempt to cast doubt on President Joe Biden’s ability to complete a potential second term, equating a vote for him with a de facto endorsement of Harris as president. Former South Carolina Governor and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley asserted, “A vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Kamala Harris,” while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, positioning himself as a contender for the 2024 presidential race, labeled Harris as “impeachment insurance.”

“They feel the need to attack because they’re scared that we will win based on the merit of the work that Joe Biden and I, and our administration, has done,” Harris responded. She further emphasized the historic barriers she has shattered throughout her career, including being the first woman district attorney in San Francisco and the first Black woman to serve as California’s attorney general.

When questioned about her readiness to assume the highest office, if necessary, Harris affirmed her preparedness while expressing confidence in Biden’s leadership. “Joe Biden is going to be fine. Let me tell you something: I work with Joe Biden every day,” she told CBS News. “The work that our administration has accomplished under Joe Biden’s leadership is transformative.”

As Republican criticism has increasingly taken on racial undertones, Harris has emerged unbothered. In a July op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, Jackie Calmes remarked, “Republican racism has finally weaponized Kamala Harris.” Harris, the first woman, Black American, and person of South Asian descent to hold the office of vice president, has consistently confronted such attacks with unwavering resolve.

Harris has decried a broader national agenda she perceives, encompassing contentious issues such as book bans and so-called “don’t-say-gay” laws. She also spoke vehemently about the historical legacy of slavery and racism, dispelling any notion of what DeSantis called its benefits. “Come on – adults know what slavery really involved. It involved rape. It involved torture. It involved taking a baby from their mother. It involved some of the worst examples of depriving people of humanity in our world,” Harris passionately declared.

“We will win reelection,” Harris declared to CBS over the weekend. “There’s too much at stake, and the American people know it.”

This article originally published in the September 18, 2023 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.