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A Lesson In Ethnic Studies


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Please clarify my understanding of race and it's associated terms.

This post is, by no means, intended to disparage any one or any race.

It's come about with the recent decision by Mr. Biden to choose Kamala Harris as his VP running mate.

Now it's a known fact that her father is Jamaican and her mother is Indian (clarification needed, as she is from India and not a Native American Indian) and she was born in California.

Not only the MSM, but others, are using terms such as "Black",  "African-American" , and woman of color to describe her.

My understanding is that to be categorized or called "Black" one must have African black ancestry or lineage.

Likewise, to be called African American, one must be a descendant of enslaved black people who are from the United States.

As Kamala Harris has no African black ancestry or lineage, nor is she a descendant of enslaved black people, the terms " Black" and "African American" are not appropriate or acceptable to describe her.

Use of the term "woman of color" is so vague that it's use becomes meaningless, as it denotes ANYONE who is not white. It dates back to 1977 when it was used by a group of black women.

Ms. Harris, IMHO, should either be referred to as Asian American or of Jamaician-Indian descent.

Please correct me if my view is skewed.

 

 

 

 

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I hope this thread doesn’t go on or take a left turn but as I understand it African-American is a term applied to any American citizen of african lineage, not necessarily slaves. That would apply to her as well as Indian-American.

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There was indigenous tribes but they died out and were replaced with African slaves. Harris’ fathers family owned slaves so make of it what you wish! 

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46 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

I hope this thread doesn’t go on or take a left turn but as I understand it African-American is a term applied to any American citizen of african lineage, not necessarily slaves. That would apply to her as well as Indian-American.

Bob,

   Does she have African heritage or lineage?

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Looking at the family photos she is constantly posting on her FB page her father does look to be maybe an octoroon, if not a quadroon, as is common in Jamaica.  

If you bother to go through her FB page, which as a Californian I do frequently, you will quickly see that she makes every issue about race and/or sex.  From her postings you would think that there are no white people in California.

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19 minutes ago, Father Kit Cool Gun Garth said:

Bob,

   Does she have African heritage or lineage?

Yes. Have you seen her father?

 

3ADD195E-C99B-469D-A2EB-0FE4F8B46AA7.jpeg

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18 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

Yes. Have you seen her father?

He is Jamaican.

Were his parents of African descent?

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16 minutes ago, Father Kit Cool Gun Garth said:

He is Jamaican.

Were his parents of African descent?

 

The huge majority of Jamaicans have some African ancestry.  

 

Quote

Ethnic origins

 
Ethnic group % Population
Black or Black Mixed[3] 92.1% 2,661,965
Mixed non-Black[3] 6.1% 176,308
Asian[3] 0.8% 23,122
Other[3] 0.4% 11,561
Unspecified[3] 0.7% 20,232

Jamaica's diverse ethnic roots is reflected in the national motto 'Out of Many One People'. Most of the population of 2,812,000 (July 2018 est.)[11] are of African or partially African descent, with many being able to trace their origins to the West African countries of Ghana and Nigeria.[71][110] Other major ancestral areas are Europe,[111] South Asia, and East Asia.[112] It is uncommon for Jamaicans to identify themselves by race as is prominent in other countries such as the United States, with most Jamaicans seeing Jamaican nationality as an identity in and of itself, identifying as simply being 'Jamaican' regardless of ethnicity.[113][114] A study found that the average admixture on the island was 78.3% Sub-Saharan African, 16.0% European, and 5.7% East Asian.[115] Another study in 2020 showed that Jamaicans of African descent represent 76.3% of the population, followed by 15.1% Afro-European, 3.4% East Indian and Afro-East Indian, 3.2% Caucasian, 1.2% Chinese and 0.8% other.[116]

 

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Originally inhabited by the indigenous Arawak and Taíno peoples, the island came under Spanish rule following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. Many of the indigenous people were either killed or died of diseases to which they had no immunity, and the Spanish thus forcibly transplanted large numbers of African slaves to Jamaica as labourers.[11] The island remained a possession of Spain until 1655, when England (later Great Britain) conquered it, renaming it Jamaica. Under British colonial rule Jamaica became a leading sugar exporter, with a plantation economy dependent on the African slaves and later their descendants. The British fully emancipated all slaves in 1838, and many freedmen chose to have subsistence farms rather than to work on plantations. Beginning in the 1840s, the British began utilising Chinese and Indian indentured labour to work on plantations. The island achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962.[11]

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