Kamala Harris: A Textbook Case on Blackwashing and Cultural Erasure
Kamala Harris — a brainwashed sepoy with no sense of civilizational identity?
Since Kamala Harris’s rise as Vice President of the United States, much has been made about her identity as the first Black woman and South Asian, or more correctly, Indian-origin person, to hold the office. However, the portrayal of Harris’s identity in the media and public discourse has largely emphasized her Black heritage while often downplaying or even neglecting her Tamil, Hindu, and Indian roots. This selective focus on certain aspects of her background is a form of what some may call “blackwashing” – a phenomenon where non-Black identities are overshadowed or assimilated into a singular narrative of Blackness by the US media.
There is an insidious reason for this. The downplaying of Harris’s Indian, Tamil, and Hindu background is not merely a media oversight but reflects a broader societal issue where certain ethnic and cultural identities are marginalized to fit dominant narratives. In Harris’s case, emphasizing her Blackness while sidelining her Indian heritage can be seen as a strategic move to appeal to African-American voters, who are a significant constituency in American politics. While this strategy may be politically expedient, it inadvertently contributes to the erasure of Harris’s full identity.
Yet this identity diffusion is precisely why the Hidden Hand chose Harris as their candidate of choice. The Mafia of corporate oligarchs and AIPAC rent boys of Welfare Queen Israel, have selected their next Pasquale “Patsy” Conte.
“Overseeing the American Empire is a motley collection of imbiciles, con artists, thieves, opportunists, and war-mongering generals; and yes, I am also talking about the Democratic Party” ~ Chris Hedges
The Dual Heritage of Kamala Harris
As someone from a mixed cultural heritage, born to an Indian Tamil Hindu family in South Africa, the story of Kamala Harris intrigues me. Hers is also a story at the intersection of race, colonialism, identity, and Western hegemony.
Kamala Harris was born to Shyamala Gopalan, a Tamil Indian cancer researcher, and Donald Harris, a Jamaican economist. Growing up in a multicultural household in California, Harris was exposed to Black American culture which is technically a subculture of Western culture. Her mother, Shyamala, played a significant role in her upbringing but sadly did not emphasize the values and traditions of her Tamil and Hindu culture, other than occasionally visiting family in India, and Harris donning a sari and bindi for family photos.
Harris, while of Tamil Indian descent through her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, seems to lack a connection to the civilizational heritage of her Tamil roots and the broader Vedic traditions of India. This disconnection from her Indian ancestry can be linked to the consequences of British colonialism and the deep cultural erasure that came with it.
The McCauleyan Effect: Colonial Education and Cultural Amnesia
The narrative surrounding Kamala Harris often ignores the impact of British colonialism on her family’s history, particularly the education system in India. One key figure in this cultural erasure is Thomas Babington Macaulay, whose policies sought to reshape the Indian educational system. Macaulay’s infamous Minute on Indian Education in 1835 laid the foundation for replacing the superior Indigenous Vedic system of learning, with a British-style education that focused on English as the medium of instruction. His goal was to create “a class of persons, Indian in blood and color, but English in tastes, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect.”
This colonial education system shaped the mindset of generations of Indians, which would have included Harris’s mother and grandparents. By prioritizing Western over indigenous forms of knowledge, Macaulay’s system not only undermined local languages and traditions but also created a sense of inferiority toward Indian civilization. This might explain why Shyamala Gopalan, like many others educated in British-influenced India, left for the United States, viewing the West as superior, while her Tamil heritage and India’s civilizational depth were left behind.
The Loss of Tamil and Vedic Identity
Shyamala Gopalan’s decision to pursue her career in the U.S. and raise her daughters in the West, is a reflection of the colonial mentality embedded by British rule. Moreover, many Indians sought to escape poverty in India, which can be traced directly to the British pillaging of India to the tune of $45 trillion over two centuries. Working long hours, Shyamala left Kamala in the care of neighbors, which meant there was less opportunity to instill a strong sense of Indian, Tamil, and Hindu identity in her daughter. This disconnection was not just an individual choice, but a consequence of a broader historical trajectory that has devalued the rich traditions and intellectual heritage of India in favor of Western paradigms.
The McCauleyan education system left generations of Indians disconnected from their own intellectual traditions while promoting Western values and ways of thinking. This legacy has profoundly affected individuals like Harris, whose personal narrative might have been different had she been more deeply connected to the cultural and civilizational achievements of her ancestors.
Had Kamala Harris been exposed more deeply to the intellectual and cultural legacies of her Tamil and Vedic heritage, her worldview might be different today. Tamil civilization, with its ancient literature and political history, offers a wealth of wisdom, pride, and a sense of belonging. The Tamil people, who once ruled vast parts of Southeast Asia, were known for their advancements in maritime trade, shipbuilding, and cultural diplomacy. The Chola Empire, which dominated the Indian Ocean, was an unparalleled force in the medieval world, trading with ancient Rome and Greece while commanding a navy that rivaled any other in the region.
Moreover, Vedic civilization – India’s broader cultural foundation – contributed immensely to global knowledge systems. The world owes many mathematical, scientific, and philosophical concepts to India, from calculus, trigonometry, and geometry, to the foundational ideas in psychology, and mind sciences. India was once a beacon of intellectual and cultural power, accounting for more than 35% of global trade, a mere two centuries ago. These achievements are often forgotten in today’s Western-dominated narratives, but they form the bedrock of what made India a global superpower in earlier eras.
Kamala Harris’s Opportunity to Connect with her Heritage
Critics of Kamala Harris argue that she has adopted the persona of a “two-faced sepoy,” a term used historically to describe Indians who served the British Empire loyally, betraying their own people. In their view, Harris’s ascent in Western politics is not accompanied by a strong connection to her Tamil or Vedic roots but instead represents a continuation of the colonial mentality, which places Western ideas and values above those of her ancestors.
However, there is an opportunity for Kamala Harris – and others like her – to reconnect with this heritage and draw from its deep well of knowledge and pride. Understanding the contributions of Indian, Tamil, and Vedic civilizations could provide Harris with a sense of civilizational identity that extends beyond the borders of race and nation. This knowledge could serve as a reminder of the intellectual, scientific, and spiritual heights that her ancestors achieved – heights that have shaped the world, even as colonialism sought to erase them.
Kamala Harris’s story is emblematic of a larger narrative: the ongoing struggle between colonial mindsets and the reclamation of Indigenous identities. It is not merely about heritage, but about reconnecting with a source of pride that offers alternatives to the West-dominated narratives of success and superiority. By engaging with the richness of Indian, Tamil and Vedic history, Kamala Harris could offer a new perspective in global politics – one informed by a deep and profound civilization that led the world in knowledge, trade, and culture for seventeen centuries.
