Melanin Doesn’t Make Harris Worthy by Robert Socha

When are we going to stop caring so much about melanin content?

Last week, my postulation that Kamala Harris’s appointment to the Vice Presidency is due to DEI and not on merit created much disagreement among friends and family. The man currently occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue suggested as much when he said, “To me, the values of diversity, equality, inclusion are literally — and this is not kidding — the core strengths of America. That’s why I’m proud to have the most diverse administration in history that taps into the full talents of our country. And it starts at the top with the Vice President.” While I respect her education and acknowledge it as a significant achievement, conceding she took degrees from two prestigious universities, I do not believe her accomplishments have earned her current position. A DEA, whose questionable ties to the position’s attainment lead to skepticism, who will not release an innocent man and reportedly laugh in the face of that injustice is not someone that has earned the trust of the People and the artificial popularity she now enjoys. The excitement currently roiled around her campaign is a calculated honeymoon phase exhibited by an exhausted base who have suffered through the embarrassment of the current administration while making excuses for its ineptitude. The thought process of the Democrat machine must believe that the election is too close to fruition for a proper vetting of her character and the hope that they have successfully vilified a once-honored mogul who dared to defy the socialist trend.

This debate gave me pause to reflect on the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. I invite you to revisit his memorable eloquence while he fought for equal justice under the law. As I read, I could hear the Reverend’s voice echoing in my brain and his passion for seeing his daughters valued for their humanity and accomplishments. I have always admired Reverend King’s commitment to justice and liberty and his passionate defense of the United States, in the face of unimaginable opposition, thuggery, brutality, and injustice, living up to her founding Declaration: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” It is unfathomable to consider the author of that speech would agree with hiring quotas based on a person’s ethnicity. His passionate conclusion of the old Negro Spiritual, “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty we are free at last,” should cause goosebumps igniting that celestial fire yearning to join the same cause today, liberty and justice for all!

It should be considered an insult to every American that it is more important to include diverse ethnicities in the hiring process than the most qualified individual for the position, not that the political process ever elects the most qualified, especially with our questionable election process. And because these shady diplomacies have infected some of our finer industries, a cloud of skepticism shrouds the entire process. We declare corporations need to use DEI in their hiring practices but demand only the best athletes when manning the top sports franchises and Olympic fame. The duplicity is staggering. Can you imagine if the NBA draft reflected the population? The innovation and excitement of the game would pale compared to its current trend. Can you imagine airlines hiring a less competent pilot because of the applicant’s ancestry? Would you fly a commercial airline if you didn’t believe the best-qualified individual was behind the controls? Look at the negative repercussions companies like Anheuser-Busch and Harley-Davidson suffered because their agendas reflected the idea that the United States is not inclusive enough.

Shame on us for giving in to these ludicrous claims. We have the distinct privilege to call ourselves American and welcome anyone from any land who values liberty, justice, accountability, and responsibility into the fold. Disgracefully, culturally, we continue to stoke the fires of tribalism through DEI-type initiatives and enflame the feud that Lincoln emancipated 160 years ago by continuing this separation and espousing its supposed virtue in the highest levels of government. King’s nonviolent marches, bent on revealing the humanity in us all, should compel us to remember that we should scrutinize a man’s character, not his skin color because we are one nation under God and carry a unique identity, not rooted in the institutions of man but one that manifests in the image of our Creator.