“That is not what I do,” she said to a client. “You need to go sit down with that question.” In other words, do not ask me silly questions.
Right away, I knew her comments would be misunderstood as flippant, unprepared and a little too “Black” for the room, even though the client asked a question that was more fitting for an administrative assistant than a CEO.
But my partner is a Black woman, and many of us are no longer willing to bend over backward to code-switch and appease White audiences out of fear of being labeled bossy, defensive or uppity.
More and more, I’ve noticed Black and brown women from all walks of life — including Vice President Kamala Harris — are now embracing this level of authenticity in their lives.
While the original message was blunt, it should have been clear that she meant to tell would-be immigrants not to risk their lives crossing the border until a better, more humane immigration system was put in place in the US.
I’m no world leader but for years I’ve often given my friends and people I’ve met that very same advice during my travels throughout Central America when they tell me they plan to escape to America for a better life. As a Black American, I know they have a false understanding of that elusive “American dream.”
She chuckled and went on to say, “I don’t understand the point of your question. I’m not discounting the importance of the border.”
In other words: “Go sit down with that question,” as my business partner would say.
That’s what I heard in the Holt interview. Harris, pushing back against a question and the suggestion by her critics that she be held accountable for a task she did not deem to be the best use of her power and position.
Again, could her delivery have been better? Yes. It reminded me of the Kamala Harris we saw on the 2020 presidential campaign trail — a bit indignant, defensive and flustered when faced with what she deemed to be a silly question, while trying to mask it all with a chuckle and smile. During those times it always seemed to me that Harris was fighting between speaking with authenticity or sticking to a planned political script.
Laughter is a tactic many powerful women — not just Black women but all of us — have been conditioned to use to disarm the men who confront us.
We are trapped in the sexist stereotype that says women have to be “soft and friendly” to get what we want. And I don’t think that is a comfortable place to be for Harris. Or, many of us for that matter.
Watching Harris do this with Holt was jarring but honestly, I’ve reacted the exact same way in similar situations: rebuffed an offensive question or comment with laughter and given a snarky answer to disguise my discontent.
You don’t have to be the vice president to relate to Harris’ situation. During my early years in corporate America, I smiled my way through more meetings and conversations than I can remember, while seething inside, struggling to get my point across and win respect for my work.
We’ve all been there. But I like what I see from Vice President Harris so far. I’m hoping she stays the course, steps fully into her powerful, intelligent, straight-talking self. But please ditch the chuckle.
It’s time for Black women to bring their entire selves to the table. And even when we stumble, we got this.
Source : Nbcnewyork