A clip of Vice President Kamala Harris from 2017 calling on 'everybody' to be 'woke' has resurfaced on social media, drawing criticism and backlash from conservatives who have labeled her as a 'Communist functionary' and 'too radical' for the presidency. During the Recode's annual Code Conference in 2017, then-Senator Harris emphasized the importance of staying 'woke' and being attentive to social justice issues. The conference covered topics such as immigration and the environment, with Harris expressing her concerns about the Trump administration's drug and immigration policies.
Harris's call for people to 'stay woke' gained traction in 2017 when dictionaries like Oxford and Merriam-Webster added the term to their lexicons, defining it as being socially aware. However, the term has since been associated with left-wing ideologies and causes.
Critics on social media have recently targeted Harris over the resurfaced clip, with conservative author James Lindsay going as far as calling her a 'Communist functionary.' This backlash comes as President Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Harris as his successor. Harris secured the Democratic Party's 2024 presidential nomination after receiving the majority of votes from convention delegates.
With less than 100 days until the election on Nov. 5, Harris faces the task of appealing to voters as she prepares to go head-to-head with former President Donald Trump. As her campaign gains momentum, critics have highlighted various past statements and actions, including her support for the defund the police movement in 2020 and her praise of a pastor who blamed the U.S. for the 9/11 attacks.
Harris is expected to announce her running mate for the election this week, and both will attend the Democratic National Convention in Chicago later this month.
