“Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the Limits of Representation,” by Keeanga-Yamahatta, was very informative and exciting to me, and after reading it, I noticed how some people are not represented and are overlooked in various ways. This article focused on how black women, in particular, are never given the opportunity to be heard or to wield authority. The author made various points that demonstrated this. “Nearly a quarter of Black women live below the official poverty line,” she added, for example. “The fact that 29% of Black children live in poverty and another 57% are categorized as low-income are stark reminders that inequality in this country is strongly entwined with race and gender,” she says. These figures demonstrate how no one in the world seems to care about black women. The fact that a black woman currently holds such much influence demonstrates that we have made progress. Race, gender, and social rank, according to the author, are the “limits of representation.” If you’re a lower-class black woman, you’re unlikely to be represented by those in positions of authority. The author discusses how members in this group are frequently disappointed and underrepresented. I agree with her sentiments because, despite being a woman of color, Kamala Harris, despite her wealth and status, does not genuinely understand the struggles of black women. People of color are in general not represented and suffer because the government and system neglects them. I remember how we discussed in class that Kamala Harris can not really understand the struggle of these women even though she is a person of color because of her power figure and authority. She is not living a hard life in poverty or in a poor low income community.
Spring 2022
