Why is Kamala referred to as a Black Woman?

[Vior]

Watched a doc on iplayer and it struck me that many commentators referred to Kamala as a black woman. It’s not just sloppiness as some of the black, democrat women participating did similar.

It intrigues me. Especially as a woman with a half Indian daughter. I think I would be pretty surprised if DD referred to herself as purely English or purely Indian. She can pass for both depending on tan.

I know the US has a much different view on race and assume it is based on that. Genuinely interested. Not rage baiting. Have googled the question and no answer has really emerged.

I never really thought so TBH. " Mixed " is the second commonest ethnicity in most of the UK so a fair few people indentfy as mixed. That is how i percieved MM.

Because she can't say that she's 'white' so she has to pick between 'mixed' or 'asian' which are vague and broad terms. 'Black' is easier as it cover anyone is is not white passing. It appeals to a large percentage of the population and gives her a political identity.

How she views herself privately might be quite different. I expect she acknowledges all aspects of her heritage.

Because Kamala herself said she was black.
One week she is an Indian the next whatever narrative she is trying to go with.
I'm in the United States.
Most of us do NOT care for her at all.
Don't let the media fool you.

That's rubbish. She's always identified primarily as Black and acknowledged that she is of mixed descent.

And the polls would absolutely not indicate that "most" of us don't care for her. I could make my own crack about the media, it's hardly all boosting her.

Every American I know is voting for her, so I am not certain what you mean @NoNonsenseNina

This is ridiculous - you must know that there is a "one-drop" philosophy that is still prevalent in the US, so even if she didnt describe herself as black others would certainly do that for her

She has also never described herself as "an indian", she has said she has indian heritage. because she has...

The cognitive dissonance with people saying that bringing up non-white heritage is some kind of advantage in US politics is astounding, when this is constantly weaponised

There are 2 Americas. As a Brit with relatives on the East and West coasts yes they are al voting for Kamela. The other America - not so sure....

Mmm I would say more mixed than that. It's more of an urban/rural divide, with suburbs being mixed in many cities. (In my area it's heavily Democratic but that is because I live near DC. Trump hates the federal government, and people's livelihoods here depend on it.)

But even in rural areas, it also depends on racial makeup: a lot of reservations lean democratic, and of course the Black Belt of the Deep South.

There are a bunch of different ways to map out votes that show things better than "red counties" and "blue counties". I like the cartograms, especially when they use different shades for vote shares. This is 2020.

Out of 3,000 counties in the USA, 160 of them contain half the votes.

https://worldmapper.org/us-presidential-election-2020/

Yes, there are. It's not a unique trait. Jews have the same family orientation. There is a culture growing, which I hate, that having these traits is 'un-black', mainly among proponents of anti-racism. Some nasty words for such black achievers, too, from those you suggest as not having these traits, people growing up on what I expect I would call 'council estates'. Same problem in the UK with poor white people (not all, obv, some).

Absolutely it is the case that Afro-Caribbeans in the UK are not associated with ambition, hard work and family orientated values. Many send their children back to Jamaica, if they can afford to, in order to escape the UK Afro-Caribbean culture. Or they try to get children into schools like 'Michaela' in London, which have a strict, academic ethos.
Generally, Jewish people in the UK are seen as hard-working and family orientated.
NB I realised USians have a different meaning for 'Asian' after I had fallen over it because I had forgotten.

Yes. But the UK differentiates between S-E Asian and Chinese, Vietnamese etc. We are more precise, I suppose. It does not mean I do not know that you are Asian.

I remember, during Brexit, some people commiserating with their British friends, that they would no longer be Europeans. We are just as much European as anyone else. Same mindset, I suppose, different place.

Please stop speaking for the U.K., you might do that but not everyone or even most think as you do.

Not all South Asians have the same culture. I'm from the Indian subcontinent and I have very little in common with a lot of the south asians who live nearby. Religion plays a large part in the difference. I have more in common with my English/European neighbours, culturally and socially.

I agree. Of course not. There are many, many cultures in Asia. I was using the short-hand of the British, where 'Asian' means from the subcontinent. That's my culture. It's a different culture from that of France, or Germany or the US, or Canada. I explained. I am not explaining again because it strikes me that everyone but the British can use their own cultural terms and be ok - if the British do it, it's wrong/colonialist/ignorant, and yet the officials of the British empire went way beyond most colonialists in understanding and supporting (mostly) and preserving (mostly) the cultures they met.

I must admit, I (Irish person) was very confused the first time I heard/read (US sources) using ‘Asian’ to refer to someone from China. People from the far east (or Oriental, as Occident is west) was all that I had ever heard to describe people from the far east or south east Asia. Asian means something different to me , including foremost Pakistan and India.

Now Orient and Occident is European centric, I understand. But if you were in Germany, and wanted to go to France, you wouldn’t say go east (of Boston).

People from the far east (or Oriental

In the US, it is generally considered offensive to refer to people as Oriental.

For census and demographic purposes, Asian includes all of Asia except for the Middle East.

The US experienced large scale immigration from Japan and China first, so Asian became associated with East Asia.

I'm British and although Google does suggest using "Asian" to refer specifically to people from the subcontinent is a thing, I'd always grown up using it to mean...you know...people from Asia.

Well, that may be true of the US. Of course, it simply derives from the Latin for East. It was very much east of Rome. I suppose that use wouldn’t make much sense from an American perspective anyhow, China is nearer from the west.

Her father is Black Jamaican

Actually, Jamaica's motto is "Out of Many, One People".

Maybe 80% black but there are many ethnicities there that make up the population.
African, Indian, Chinese, White, Middle Eatern (called Syrians).

1/4 of Jamaicans have Irish blood.

But you know, Trump likes to stir the pot of hatred and division.

But if you were in Germany, and wanted to go to France, you wouldn’t say go east (of Boston).

Someone got their world map mixed up LOL.

This thread is full of racist nonsense. There is no critical thinking at all. Just racist assumptions and stereotypes. MN does not do well with race talks especially when it pertains to Black people. I wish these people would just stop. There is such a huge fascination with Black folks on this platform. It's that magic I guess!

Bless. I just don’t regard the US as the centre of it.