In the most recent election and the last administration, the United States witnessed history. While Kamala Harris didn’t win, she became the first woman and minority Vice President and Democratic nominee for President. With more racially diverse figures entering the political landscape, spanning from Harris and Obama on the left to Vivek Ramaswamy and Tim Scott on the right, race holds more significance in voting as these candidates gain spikes in supporters from their respective minorities. According to a Pew Research Poll, 50% of all minorities care about the candidate being similar to themselves, with 25% considering it a very important factor. How much should these biological attributes really matter in electing our most influential officials?
Diversity is necessary. Diversity serves as a symbol of societal growth and should be celebrated. It represents the achievements of groups originally stripped of equal rights. However, in the modern world, diversity is being forced. President Biden, with the backing of liberals, made it a goal to appoint a woman, minority Vice President and Supreme Court Justice. It diminishes their accomplishments and becomes artificial in contrast to celebratory diversity. It is unclear if the best candidate was actually chosen or whether they were chosen over a better candidate for their physical characteristics. And by setting a goal to appoint a specific race, you discriminate against the rest. Qualified candidates are unconsidered because of skin color. How is this fair?
About six decades ago, the civil rights movement made ground-breaking progress in gaining minority rights. With his pinnacle “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King Jr. preached for a future, “where [people] will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” We shouldn’t be judging people based on race, that is what previous activists fought for. Martin Luther King Jr, one of the greatest revolutionaries of our time, advocated this message and it needs to be carried today. We should not make assumptions about politicians based on race, it is unrelated to what they can do for the people. Instead, we need to pay attention to their character, policies, and values; this is what’s truly important and impacts our lives.
One’s own race is also not indicative of their beliefs. As candidates run for office, they expect certain races to vote a certain way, essentially stereotyping millions of minority citizens. Biden infamously said in his 2020 run that if you have trouble choosing between him and Trump then, “you ain’t Black.” Obama also scolded African Americans on Harris’ campaign for supporting Trump. Race has escalated to be an indicator of how one votes. This rising belief makes assumptions and encourages stereotyping by race. The American people have their own thoughts and values, and shouldn’t be boxed into voting a certain way because of how they look. Being against racism and discrimination is looking beyond skin tone, not assuming stereotypes, and priding character and policy in our most influential politicians and figures.
While diversity should always be celebrated, uncontrollable physical factors should not factor into who runs our government. We want the best of the best to run our country and accurately represent the values and beliefs of the people; these characteristics are independent of race. If they are a minority, so be it. We should strive for a society where race is independent of our voting behavior and not vote for our officials on the basis of race, rather on their policies and character.
