Race and Politics

Politics have never truly been in the favor of people of color, especially African American People and with the hope to change that a few of us attempt to grab a position of power for ourselves and our community. In this case we’re talking about George Edwin Taylor who Ran for President in 1904, and now Miss Kamala Harris who aims to be Vice President. These positions may be different but they bear a similar weight and equal challenges. George Edwin Taylor was the son of a slave and ran for president when racism was still going strong. Far before the civil rights movement and far before African Americans were even acknowledged as real citizens in America. He faced not only racism at the polls but also just pure racism in his day to day life. And with Fredrick Douglas as a friend and advocate for his presidency the race was far from easy. At the time he ran many black men and women were not allowed the right to vote due to the impact of Jim Crow laws. And for those of them that could vote it wasn’t nearly enough lobbying power to make a difference for him. Not to mention he ran as an independent republican with a heavy emphasis on the betterment of African American people in America. With all that in Mind let’s flip to the other side of this political Coin. It’s 2020 and the elections are getting closer and closer. Joe Biden has chosen Kamala Harris to be his Vice President. Kamala Is the first African/Asian American woman to run for Vice President, and while she does face challenges; they are nowhere near what George Edwin Taylor faced. While still an issue, racism in America is far less than what it was in 1904 and as a woman she has already claimed a lot of the votes from women seeking to put one of their own in such a high ranking office. A lot of the issue that she faces in her race for Vice President is from the African American community and their distrust of her. As she only seems to use her ethnicity to win votes while not actually wishing to benefit the African Americans who vote for her. Another problem she is facing in her race are the people who do not want a woman to be in a place of such high power. A lot of Men and traditionalists in general do not see her as someone suitable for office. From the two sides of this coin I would undoubtedly say that George Edwin Taylor faces far harder and vastly different issues than Kamala does. And the real difference is that all of the issues he faced were out of his control. One of Kamala’s most prevalent challenges comes directly from how she handles herself;the weaponization of her ethic backgrounds when it’s beneficial to her.