Janet Jackson questions Kamala Harris’ candidacy in interview The Guardian Saturday (September 21).
The interview talks about the singer’s “Together Again” tour, how she records “a lot of music that’s been on the back burner,” and being a parent. It also turned to talk of the upcoming U.S. election, with reporters noting that Americans could elect their first black female president: Democratic nominee Harris.
“Well, you know what they said?” Jackson interjected: “She’s not black – I heard she’s Indian.”
Jackson added, “I was told that her father was white. I haven’t watched the news in days. I was told that they found out that her father was white.
She did not elaborate on where she heard the message, which was wrong.
Harris is both black and Indian. Her father, Donald J. Harris, came to the United States from Jamaica. Her mother, the late Shyamala Gopalan, came to the United States from India. They both moved to the United States to study at the University of California, Berkeley, and met in 1962.
The Guardian Taking up the topic with Jackson again, asked her if she thinks America is ready for a woman of color as president.
“I don’t know,” Jackson said. “Honestly, I don’t want to answer that question because I really don’t know. I think it would be confusing either way.
The singer’s comments about Harris trended on social media, with many fans expressing frustration that their idol was repeating the misinformation.
“You had the opportunity to stand loudly and proudly with a black woman, but you didn’t. That’s hard to do as a lifelong fan,” said one popular comment on Jackson’s recent Instagram post, based on Jackson’s comments about Harris were adopted.
On X (formerly Twitter), a post read: “Jenny Jackson is one of the most influential people in music history. She repeated what she ‘heard’ about them using against Kamala Thing, this is simply irresponsible! Her own race. The election is less than 50 days away. We must speak smarter!
This summer, Donald Trump addressed Harris’ racial identity at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago, claiming, “I didn’t know she was black until a few years ago, when she happened to become black, and now she Wants to be called black. So, I don’t know if she’s Indian or black?
During the September 10 presidential debate, Trump said, “All I can say is, I read that she wasn’t black…and then I read that she was black, and that’s okay. Either one is fine with me. That’s It’s up to her.
Harris later responded: “Honestly, I think it’s a tragedy that we have a wannabe president who has spent his career trying to use race to divide the American people.”
According to reports from behind-the-scenes reporters, Jackson The Guardian article, I felt unwell on the day of the interview. She has a cold.
