CASE OBAMA: A WARNING TO U.S. VOTERS

It's a big debate in our comment section, across the Internet and in America’s Black communities: Is Kamala Harris a better option than Donald Trump? Should Black voters support Harris as the lesser of two evils?

Reflecting on this question, we at African Stream recall some wise words from Onyesonwu Chatoyer of @aaprpinternational and @hoodcommunist. In this video, she looks back at the Obama-legacy both in the United States and in Africa. One thing she says especially stands out: the reason why Barack Obama was able so successfully to expand US military operations across the African continent was because "if Bush had done it, we would never have allowed it. So they had to have someone that looked like us do it so we could rationalise it as just."

The Obama-era serves as a powerful lesson that we must look back on now more than ever. Does having leaders that resemble our friends, family and community members allow the empire to get away with even more harm? Are we less critical of politicians when they come from relatable cultural backgrounds? And if so, what does this mean for the upcoming election in which Kamala Harris is on the ballot?

If we use the Obama-era as reference, in case of a Harris win, we can anticipate that US imperialism targeting Africa may accelerate to an even higher level than before. Meanwhile, US domestic policies will continue to harm working-class Black communities within the US, as those who speak up will be told to keep quiet and celebrate Kamala's "Black excellence" and "girl boss" identity.

This is why it is so important that we break away from this fixation on the lesser of two evils and begin to build global mass revolutionary Pan-African organisations that can bring about permanent transformation outside of the US electoral system.

What do you think, would a Kamala Harris presidency be similar to a Barack Obama presidency?