Pop icon Janet Jackson has found herself in the midst of political discussion after echoing misinformation regarding Vice President Kamala Harris’s racial identity. These remarks, which surfaced during an interview promoting her European tour, have quickly spread, prompting reactions and raising questions about the spread of disinformation in the current political climate.
Jackson’s interview with The Guardian, published on Saturday, September 21, 2024, covered a range of topics from her new music and tour to reflections on her past. However, it was her comments about Vice President Harris that drew significant attention. When asked about her perspective on Harris as a Black woman potentially becoming the first female U.S. president, Jackson reportedly responded with skepticism.
“Well, you know what they supposedly said?” Jackson is quoted as saying. “She’s not Black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian.”
The interviewer, noting Jackson’s 1989 hit “Rhythm Nation” which advocated for breaking color lines, corrected Jackson, explaining that while Harris has Indian heritage, she also identifies as Black. Jackson, however, seemed unconvinced, reportedly stating, “[Harris’] father’s white. That’s what I was told. I mean, I haven’t watched the news in a few days. I was told that they discovered her father was white.”
These comments quickly drew parallels to similar disinformation spread by former President Donald Trump. In July 2024, Trump, a political opponent of Harris, publicly stated that the Vice President “turned Black” for political advantage, after supposedly previously emphasizing her Indian heritage. He made these remarks at the National Association of Black Journalists’ 2024 convention, further fueling the discussion around Harris’s racial identity.
“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black,” Trump had stated.
Vice President Harris responded to Trump’s earlier remarks by characterizing them as divisive and disrespectful, part of a broader strategy to create division for political gain. Speaking at an event in Houston, Harris stated, “It was the same old show — the divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say, the American people deserve better.”
The facts regarding Kamala Harris’s background are clear. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in India. Her father, Donald J. Harris, is an economist, Stanford University professor emeritus, and is Black, born in Jamaica. Despite this readily available information, the misinformation persists, highlighting the challenges of combating false narratives, even among prominent figures like Janet Jackson.
During the same interview, Jackson also expressed a pessimistic view of the upcoming presidential election, stating, “I think either way it goes is going to be mayhem.” She also touched upon the issue of child sex trafficking, linking it to themes in her “Rhythm Nation” album and expressing concern about its prevalence today.
Janet Jackson’s career boasts significant achievements, including 10 No. 1 hits, 5 Grammy Awards, and an Academy Award nomination. While promoting her tour and upcoming Las Vegas residency, these recent comments have unexpectedly placed her in the center of a political narrative, demonstrating how easily misinformation can spread and the importance of factual accuracy in public discourse, especially concerning figures in the public eye like Vice President Kamala Harris.
