Blog 7

Keeanga-Yamanhatta Taylor’s article, “Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the Limits of Representation,” portrays the misrepresentation of people of color, specifically African American women, in the U.S. on a social, economic, and political scale. In recent times, we were able to witness the appointment of the United State’s first African and Asian American woman vice president: Kamala Harris. As groundbreaking as this might be, Taylor’s article gives insight on this matter that dives deeper than “the celebrations of symbolic firsts.” As noted in the article, given Biden’s past/rich history of demonizing Black children as “predators on our streets” and sacrificing low-income Black women for political gain, it’s ironic that he was the one to appoint Kamala Harris to this position. Accounting for all this only accentuates Biden’s decision as another calculated, political decision in which he would benefit and gain popularity from. Regardless of his reasoning, this decision propagates the idea of representation into the minds of many citizens. As the article notes, “Black women are, in general, one of the most oppressed and marginalized groups in the United States,” so it’s reasonable to be hopeful of Kamala Harris rising to the vice presidency position. However, this is where the issue of “limits of representation” arises. The abundance of factors to consider in regards to the limitations of representation such as race, gender, social class, and experience make it all the more difficult to truly have the voices of everyone heard. There is so much to account for, but not enough information or understanding to do so. In the case of Kamala Harris, she may be a black female in a position of power, but that does not immediately mean she’ll be able to properly represent “Black women and others stuck at the bottom of the American social order,” nor does it mean she can’t do so. Politicians/officials from all different walks of life may advocate for revolutionary policies, but ultimately it’s their actions that will speak for them and the people they wish to represent, which is a tough task in itself.