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Politics
Fethi Mansouri, Deakin Distinguished Professor/UNESCO Chair-holder; Founding Director, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University

Kamala Harris refers to herself as a ‘woman of colour’. Is it okay if everyone else does too?

Kamala Harris Joe Biden Democratic Party United States Vice President

President Joe Biden’s recent decision to step down from the 2024 presidential elections in the United States and support Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee has led to a landslide of sexist and racist reactions.

As a woman of Indian and Jamaican heritage, Harris is facing a flood of disinformation, stereotypes and deeply offensive racist slurs against her. These include suggestions her political rise is due to the fact she is a “woman of colour” rather than because of her ability to govern.

Harris proudly refers to herself as a “woman of colour”, as do many feminist activists in the US and in Australia. So why the controversy around the use of this phrase?

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