As we assess the new electoral landscape for this year's US Presidential race, The Diaspora Academy was recently interviewed by the Africa Report about the African diaspora's reactions and sentiment towards the prospect of Kamala Harris as our next US President.  

Responses from the African Diaspora

There's a burst of new energy in the Black voter space since Harris emerged as a top contender for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, including African diaspora and immigrant spaces.  Within the first 24 hours, TDA spoke with African diaspora clients, students and colleagues who are all diving into organizing, fundraising and outlining their advocacy priorities for a potential Harris presidency.  

Overwhelmingly, we're seeing an immediate positive reaction to Kamala Harris as our potential first Black woman President with a diasporic background.  This is because her track record is formidable, her personal journey is relatable, her foreign policy acumen is sharp, and there's promise with her US-Africa approach given her experiences as VP. 

Getting to Know The African Diaspora

But first, let's make sure we know who the African diaspora is for purposes of this moment.  TDA largely defines the African diaspora to include first-generation African immigrants, second-generation children of African immigrants, and multi-generational descendants of African migrants, including the forcibly kidnapped and enslaved. 

The African diaspora's size and influence in the United States has historically been influential, but it has grown considerably over the last 20 years, with Census filings showing African immigrants as one of the faster growing demographics in the country. The rise in African immigration to the United States during the 1980s and 1990s led to a rise of multi-generational and multi-racial African immigrant households, with an increasing number of children of African descent being born in the United States. 

These communities largely choose to become or remain connected to their ancestral homelands - through culture, community, philanthropy, and travel - and keep a close eye on the United States' approach and policies towards their respective homelands and the continent. 

This includes Sub-Saharan and North African diasporas, Afro-Arab and African-American communities who identify as being of a part of the African diaspora. Egyptians, Moroccans, Tunisian and Sudanese-Americans communities engage regularly in US politics to understand the country's priorities with their homeland and the continent. 

Similarly, African-Americans who were denied the right to know their ancestry are seeking to become reconnected to their ancestral homelands through ancestry tests, cultural heritage preservation activities, storytelling, and diaspora travel trips to the motherland. 

The creation of African diaspora entities has also flourished. We now see a groundswell of African diaspora non-profits, advocacy organizations, PACs, businesses including our firm, The Diaspora Academy, entrepreneurs, creatives, media outlets, think tanks, and grassroots in the marketplace and society. 

Kamala Harris' Diasporic Lens

Which is why Vice President Harris has a unique opportunity to reach this demographic and share her vision for US-Africa relations as well as her African diaspora policy and engagement priorities.  Her personal and professional journey are extremely relatable to these audiences. Growing up in a Black, Jamaican and Indian diaspora household in the United States, and visiting those countries during her childhood has created an undeniable umbilical relationship between her and her ancestral homelands.  

Although her professional record on Africa is lesser developed, she shows signs of promise since becoming  Vice President. 

As California Attorney General and Senator, Harris' mandate heavily focused on domestic policy. Whatever Africa policy-related engagements she had would have come from her California diaspora constituents or local institutions focused on US-Africa relations. 

Her tenure as Vice President deepened her portfolio on all foreign policy matters. She met with young African leaders at the US-Africa Leaders Summit's YALI Forum and delivered remarks at the Diaspora Forum, where she announced the first ever Presidential Advisory Council for African Diaspora Engagement. 

Harris later met with the Council during its first convening and conducted her first official trip to Africa in March 2023, to Tanzania, Zambia and Ghana.  She met with civil society, youth leaders, and met with local and diaspora business leaders.  

Recommendations for a Potential Harris Administration 

Now, the Harris for President campaign has an opportunity to show she is committed to including and engaging with African diaspora communities who are ready to work and build with her.  Harris' record as a professional, educated, experienced diaspora woman and public policy professional is a unique and relatable perspective that diasporas will value. 

Recommendations for the Harris Campaign and a future Harris Administration: 

• Hold presidential campaign engagements directly with and for the African diaspora communities virtually and across the country
• Launch a robust US-Africa strategy that incorporates long-term priorities in diplomacy, health, education, economic growth, trade, agricultural development, climate justice, gender equity, human rights, and diaspora engagement.
• Maintain diaspora engagement as a fifth pillar of US National Security Strategy for Africa
• Extend and renew the Presidential Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement body, allowing for increased funding, membership terms, and operating within the State Department. 
• Increase funding opportunities for US-based African diaspora non-profits, businesses, creatives and institutions to engage in US-Africa knowledge transfer trainings, job skills trainings, and creative industry exchanges.