OPINION: Kamala Harris’s father is not a big fan of his daughter’s identity politics. As a matter of fact, he’s such a critic of her pandering and race bating that he called her out back in 2019 during her failed Democratic primary bid.
It all started during an appearance on “The Breakfast Club,” a popular New York-based radio show. Harris laughed and giggled endlessly about smoking pot. Keep in mind, this is the woman who, as a prosecutor in California, incarcerated slews of people on Marijuana charges.
Kamala then used her family’s “Jamaican roots” as another reason for why she loves to smoke pot so much, reinforcing that “Rastafarian” stereotype.
Her father, who is a prestigious professor, did not like that one bit.
From Chicago Now [1]
Yes, she smoked pot, she said. Coyly. And she made a point of saying she inhaled.
A long time ago.
She said pot brings people joy. And she remembered how it felt to get high.
She also jokingly referred to her roots. “Half my family’s from Jamaica; are you kidding me?”
You can watch the video below:
Kamala Harris talks legalizing marijuana: “Half my family is from Jamaica, are you kidding me?” pic.twitter.com/bSn1PhgRlZ [2]
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) February 11, 2019 [3]
Kamala’s father was so incensed by what his daughter said that he wrote a statement disavowing his daughter’s identity politic and even called it a “travesty.”
Here’s what he said:
“My dear departed grandmothers (whose extraordinary legacy I described in a recent essay on this website), as well as my deceased parents, must be turning in their grave right now to see their family’s name, reputation and proud Jamaican identity being connected, in any way, jokingly or not with the fraudulent stereotype of a pot-smoking joy seeker and in the pursuit of identity politics. Speaking for myself and my immediate Jamaican family, we wish to categorically dissociate ourselves from this travesty.”
How terrible a politician do you have to be to have your father come out and disavow you?
This opinion piece was written by Missy Crane on August 12, 2020. It originally appeared in WayneDupree.com [4] and is used by permission.