Jamaica is currently trending on Twitter after Senator Kamala Harris created history as Vice President running mate for Joe Biden on the day that we celebrate DJ Kool Herc on the anniversary of the birth of hip hop.
Forty-seven years to the day after Jamaican pioneer DJ Kool Herc’s debuted the blueprint for hip-hop and forever altered music history, Jamaican-American Senator Kamala Harris got her own historic moment as the first Black woman to be chosen to compete on a major party’s presidential ticket. Joe Biden selected the California Senator as his VP candidate to much fanfare and praise on Tuesday afternoon.
“I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate,” Biden tweeted.
Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I'm proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 11, 2020
Ahead of an appearance in Delaware on Wednesday where the two will make their official remarks, the prosecutor is already demonstrating her popularity among the people, sending “Jamaican” straight to the top of trending within hours of the announcement. A former White House contender herself, speculations on her heritage are again at a fever pitch as fact checks on her eligibility and birthright have stirred controversy across social media.
The firstborn of two immigrants, an Indian mother, and a Jamaican father, Harris is a natural-born U.S. citizen, and eligible to serve as Vice President. Sadly, for the naysayers, this is not a matter dependent on her parents’ citizenship, and according to The Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment “all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Senator Harris is Biden’s former opponent, and in offering her the opening, he’s shown confidence in her ability, advocacy and tenacity despite past tensions on the campaign trail. “Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau,” Biden tweeted. “I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I’m proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.”
Brooklyn is FULL of rich, diverse Black Americans who were born here, but whose parents are from Jamaica, Trinidad, Guiana, Haiti, and MANY other places.
Try telling a cop "I'm not Black, I'm Jamaican so don't kill me."
Are we REALLY doing Birtherism on Kamala Harris now? SMFH
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) August 12, 2020
Kamala Harris’ parents, Shyamala Gopalan and Donald Harris, immigrants from India and Jamaica pic.twitter.com/fY5pwHJKI5
— Russell Contreras (@RussContreras) August 11, 2020
Kamala Harris is the first Black woman on a major ticket. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, who died in 2009, emigrated from India in 1960, was an endocrinologist. Her father, Donald Harris, emigrated from Jamaica in 1961, and is a Stanford University Emeritus Professor of Economics. pic.twitter.com/GmQ70kBtH8
— Wayne Chen (@wcchen) August 11, 2020
His appointment is a strategy to seize the momentum on the current climate of racial and social unrest that has gripped the corners of the globe in 2020. Biden hopes her political savvy, vigorous electoral style and relatable personal history will be enough to sway the as yet undecided electorate. And with good reason—there’s hardly a space or industry Jamaicans won’t influence or eclipse. From DJ Kool Herc inventing hip-hop to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s post-baby domination in Doha, to Popcaan dethroning yet another Jamaican, Bob Marley, with his latest FIXTAPE album, there’s a great deal to be said and learned from Jamaican determination.
Hip-Hop turns 47 today
Thank Jamaica. Thank the Bronx.
— Ivie Ani (@ivieani) August 11, 2020
If DJ Kool Herc never left Jamaica with the local sound system tradition, there may be no Hip Hop as we know it today. Therefore, it could be said that Jamaica, an island, surrounded by coastline, is the 'First Coast'.
— HeatRockz 2.0 Out Now! (@FiveSteez) August 11, 2020
47 years ago in the Bronx, DJ Kool Herc & sister Cindy Campbell hosted the party that's widely recognized as the 1st Hip Hop party. Billed as a Back to School Jam, they hosted the party to buy school clothes.
Props to the DJs who set a foundation for Kool Herc & other pioneers. pic.twitter.com/DtvQBujpOr
— An Account About Hip Hop (@checktherhyme1) August 11, 2020
47 years ago today, DJ Kool Herc threw a Back to School party at 1520 Sedgwick Ave. Hip Hop was born. Happy Birthday! ? pic.twitter.com/KR4a4IOptQ
— Mon (@smackeddaniels_) August 11, 2020
On August 11, 1973, in the rec room in an unassuming brick building at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, a 16-year-old Jamaican immigrant changed pop music forever. This is the night that Clive Campbell, later known as Kool Herc, invented hip-hop. pic.twitter.com/hkbXRtCwFR
— gonzomike (@gonzomike) August 11, 2020
47 years ago today, an immigrant by the name of DJ Kool Herc shaped Hip Hop at his sister’s birthday party. He used his turntable to create new sounds out of soul music including the break beat. This lead to the creation of breakdancing.
Happy birthday to Hip Hop! ?? pic.twitter.com/toordsFRhR— Dedee ? (@thoughtfulbae) August 11, 2020
