Kaylah Walton
Janet Jackson has ignited debate by casting doubt on Vice President Kamala Harris’s racial identity. She suggested that Harris should not be considered Black due to her white father, which has sparked confusion given Harris’s true family background.
“Well, you know what they supposedly said?” she mentioned in an interview with the Guardian.
“She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian.”
“Her father’s white. That’s what I was told. I mean, I haven’t watched the news in a few days. I was told that they discovered her father was white.”
Jackson has understandably faced backlash for her unfounded comments.
Some critics pointed out, “This is why she’s irrelevant and riding on her brothers’ coattails,” referring to her actions as reminiscent of Trump’s remarks.
Others remarked, “Janet, you should know better than to accept such nonsense… particularly after all the racial issues Michael dealt with…,” was another valid critique.
“‘That’s what I heard’ seems to be the new way of saying ‘I believe the baseless gossip I’m told’,” noted another sharp response.
Harris’s Family Background
Kamala Harris, born in 1964, is the daughter of Dr. Shyamala Gopalan, an Indian cancer researcher, and Donald J. Harris, a Black Jamaican economist.
The couple married in the early 1960s and raised Kamala alongside her sister Maya before their separation in the early 1970s. Donald Harris is now a retired professor emeritus at Stanford University, while Dr. Gopalan passed away in 2009.
Trump’s Previous Doubts about Harris
Jackson‘s comments echo those made by former President Donald Trump, who questioned Harris’s identity during the 2020 election. Trump insinuated that her racial identity was a facade.
“She was always promoting her Indian heritage and only identified as such,” he stated.
“I didn’t know she was Black until a while ago, and now she wants to be known as Black.”
“So, what is she? Indian or Black? I respect both, but she seems conflicted about her identity.”
Trump added that someone should investigate her sudden change in identity claims.
