Taylor and Harris - Two Firsts In African American History


   


  Two African Americans run for the highest offices in the land? George Edwin Taylor and Kamala Harris are two candidates who have ran and is currently running for President and Vice-President of the United States of America. Although 116 years separate them, they face similar challenges. Yet the time difference brings different issues and  controversies.

  Taylor and Harris have more in common than their political aspirations. Taylor was the son of a slave. Harris was the daughter of immigrants.    He was orphaned and adopted by a farmer. She frequented civil rights demonstrations as a child.  I believe these aspects of their upbringing contributed to their ideals and stances in the political world.

  Although times have changed, race still plays a major factor. The ending of slavery and beginning of the "Jim Crow" era influenced Taylor. Harris being an African American woman and her stance on social justice reform were the decisive factors in her nomination. Time has brought change, but  Harris shares some of the same ideals and stances that Taylor once held.

  These two were both college educated. They both believed in social justice and the many issues of the working class. Taylor and Harris have both faced many issues which garner the same gravity. 

  In 1904, when Taylor ran, African Americans weren't even considered humans to most. Harris on the other hand, is running at the height of social justice reform in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic. Though Taylor was viewed by most as not even a citizen, he still ran for president. Harris has been criticized for changing some of her stances since she has entered a bigger political arena. 

  Many years separate George Edwin Taylor and Kamala Harris's run for the office. They have faced some of the same challenges. They had differences due to the times.  The November 2020 election will show us how  different the times are or if they have remained the same. 


Mouser, B. (2019, September 12). Running for President: George Edwin Taylor, 1904. Retrieved September 01, 2020, from https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/running-president-george-edwin-taylor-1904/

Kim, C., & Stanton, Z. (2020, August 16). 55 Things You Need to Know About Kamala Harris. Retrieved September 01, 2020, from https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/08/11/kamala-harris-vp-background-bio-biden-running-mate-2020-393885

McNamee, G. (2020, August 12). Kamala Harris. Retrieved September 01, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kamala-Harris

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Do Economics affect Higher Education ?

Image
    Colleges and universities have been reporting incorrect graduation statistics based on guidelines set by the Department of Education.The schools were only required to report on students that started as full-time Freshman and graduated in four years. A lot of students were not included in these statistics due to being part-time or transfer students and taking more than four years to graduate.      The Department of Education changed the information that is required from schools, due to complaints that the information was reporting an incomplete picture of graduation rates. Both transfer and part-time students are included in the stats that are reported now. They also include data on Pell Grant recipients and students that graduate in six and eight years. The additional data that is included in the reporting now shows a more complete reading of graduation statistics.      In my opinion, one of  the main reasons that lead to differences in graduation rates are economics. Students who
Read more

Thomas Edison : The Opportunist

Image
Thomas Edison is a fraud! He did not invent the light bulb. History shows that there were up to 20 different inventors working on bulbs before he came up with his version. So, basically what he did was just improve on the existing bulbs. Then, he came up with a plan on how to cheaply produce them and distribute them commercially. His great ideas and charisma helped him get investors on board. This is why he is credited with the invention of the light bulb. The first electric light was invented in 1802 by Humphrey Davy. For the next seventy years, many versions of the bulb were created. Some versions were better than others. In 1874, two Canadians, Henry Woodward and Matthew Evans invented bulbs that were viable. They attempted to sell their bulb version commercially. They found little interest and were unsuccessful. They ended up selling their patent to Edison in 1879. Edison began work on bulb research and development in 1878. He filed for his first patent for Improvement in Electric
Read more

Blog #12 - Research

Image
Universal Basic Income is my topic of choice. I have found out all sorts of information out on this subject. I believe the concept is a great idea.   It has a lot of opposition. It is not even about political party affiliation. Proponents for this idea believe it would help get so many people out of poverty and give them the opportunity for more education and to take care of their families. They also believe it would help stimulate the economy. Opponents of this idea believe that it would bankrupt the country. They also believe that it would make people not want to work at all; and that some would spend it on all the wrong things. UBI is a system being looked at by countries all over the world. I, along with many others, believe UBI is what the people need.    
Read more