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.

This dates back to before slavery was abolished in USA. The rule of thumb was that "one drop of negro blood" meant that person was a "negro", and could therefore be enslaved. Even though slavery was abolished in the US 150 years ago, this "rule" is still used to categorise people as black. Hence Kamala's father being black means in the US most people will categorise her as black, even though in UK we would probably call her mixed-race.

A cultural hangover from the one drop rule days.
America and race are very very weird.

I was going to say this too. We all change how we speak to different audiences, mostly unconsciously, and it's particularly common to speak more like the person you're addressing. Some people can speak more than one variety of a language, it doesn't mean it's inauthentic. E.g. if you were from northern Ireland and went to Oxford university, you would speak to your university friends differently from your friends back home. Neither accent would be fake or put on.

I don’t know the answer. My theory is that race is perceived differently in the UK than it is in the US. Some are saying this is true, others are not in agreement.

I’ve tried educating myself independently so I am asking, for those who feel comfortable, to educate me.

I absolutely wouldn't consider Meghan as black. (I mean I'd be happy to call her that if that's what she prefers obviously) But as far as I can see she's mixed heritage. Id have thought that was obvious. I reckon I look about as "black" as Meghan and because I was raised by the white side of my family people just seem to assume I'm white (but tanned!!)

I think I get what you’re saying.
That to be classed as white you must be white only? That any amount of non-white heritage means you take on that identity?

She's black. What you consider her does not come into the equation.

Interesting I have never heard of the one drop rule. Have googled it.

For any other who had not come across the term:

The "one-drop rule" is a social and legal principle of racial classification that was historically prominent in the United States. According to this rule, any person with even a single ancestor of African descent ("one drop" of Black blood) is considered Black. This principle emerged from the laws and customs of the South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a way to enforce racial segregation and maintain White supremacy. It reinforced the binary division of society into Black and White, regardless of an individual's appearance or the proportion of their African ancestry.
The one-drop rule played a significant role in the legal and social categorization of individuals and contributed to the rigid racial hierarchy that defined much of American history. It has been widely criticized for its arbitrary and discriminatory nature, and its legacy continues to impact discussions about race and identity in the United States today.

So much ignorance on this thread. Embarrassing.

For the simple reason that she identifies as a Black woman - at the same time is proud of her Indian heritage via her mother.

It's all about what the individual prefers.

I think her point is why isn't she called half black half Indian instead of just black.

Obama is half black half white but is labelled black.

Well some of us are trying to learn

Only if that's how she identifies. Which it might be, I have no idea. But otherwise she's clearly bi-racial. Her father is white.

I don't think this is an American thing. Mixed race people in the UK always seem to identify as black too. I don't really understand why being 50% black is more significant than being 50% white. Surely if you grow up in a family with one white and one black parent then both cultures will be important to you, why would you identify with one more than the other?

As far as I’ve always known, people with mixed heritage and a black parent will typically refer to themselves/be referred to as black.

because in America they don't see mixed race as other countries do. If you aren't white they see you as just black. It doesn't make sense to me personally.

There's another aspect to this for us in the UK which I think is less linked to the US "one drop"/anti-miscegnation laws, and more linked with political blackness.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_blackness

Obama isn't 'labelled' black, like it's an insult - it's how he identifies himself.

Surely Kamala Harris is as equally Indian as she is Black?

But on the other hand, would they not still experience racism which maybe pushes them to be identified as black rather than white?

Americans are mad obsessed with race and plenty of them are equally obsessed with appearing "progressive". By emphasising her blackness they're hoping they can get people to vote for her on the basis of that alone, and paint any criticism of her as racist (which to be fair a lot of it is).

Interestingly they seem to have dropped their Hilary Clinton strategy of emphasising how important it is to elect the first female President. Presumably because it didn't work.

Also interesting to compare to recent Conservative leadership contests in the UK where the diversity of candidates is almost just taken for granted, and not really commented on.

Pretty sure he commented that she wasn’t actually black. It was her calling herself black.

I think she's "black" the same way as Megan Markle is "black".

Why don't people of mixed heritage ever say they are "white"?

A lot of people with parents from different heritages would describe themselves as ‘both’ instead of ‘mixed’. I don’t have half and half nationalities, I have both. I don’t experience half and half cultures, I experience both. ‘Mixed’ is really referring to genes and personally I find that a bit too personal coming from strangers. So Kamala can describe herself as both black and brown, and rightly so.

Because there are more black voters in the US than Indian or South Asian voters.

It's interesting to me that the black movement is so much louder in the US than the Hispanic/Latinx, because they make up a much higher % of the population than black people. Maybe it's because immigration is viewed so negatively.