The University of New Mexico hosted a panel Oct. 2 to discuss the racial and gender politics of Vice President Kamala Harris as she seeks to become president. The event welcomed dozens of UNM students and staff with panelists including professors Andrea Mays, Gabriel Sanchez and Vinay Harpalani.
Mays, senior lecturer in the Department of Africana Studies, spoke about Harris’ current position as the first Black and South Asian female presidential nominee. Harris’ race faced recent scrutiny, with former President Donald Trump questioning her Black identity during a convention for the National Association of Black Journalists.
“She’s being managed very well and hidden away because of what we as a society understand about these various and multiplying identities that she occupies,” Mays said.
Mays also offered insight around Harris’ service as vice president, saying her place on the 2020 presidential ticket acted to make President Joe Biden a more diversely appealing candidate. Her role, however, is to follow the president’s lead.
“The irony of the vice-presidential position is that it is meant to be one of the most forgettable,” Mays said.
In following themes of identity, the panel also discussed Latino polling rates, a topic relevant to the UNM campus as 45.5% of enrolled students identify as Hispanic or Latino. According to Sanchez, a political science professor, Trump has a firm hold on this specific community.
Recent polling shows that the economy is a priority issue with Latino voters, which the Trump campaign lists as a key component. The Harris campaign has struggled to appeal to voters within this issue.
The panel ended with a Q&A session where audience members were encouraged to address concerns of the upcoming election and discuss current policies proposed by Harris’ campaign.
