What the 'Kamala accent' question really says about your social circle
That "one black friend" you have is yet again proving she's not a legitimate friend
Earlier today, I was talking to a client (a black woman) about an accounting question. I told her I was unfamiliar with the person who’d asked me to change my “branding code” for payment documentation. When my client (my boss) responded that the mystery person was in charge of approving my hours, I immediately went, “Oh, in that case, she’s my homegirl. Favorite person ever!”
My client immediately started giggling.
There is no way I would’ve responded like that when speaking to very specific clients. I knew that I could be comfortable enough around this person to make that comment in my “regular” voice without it being deemed unprofessional. This is an example of code-switching.
Lately, I’ve been seeing Trump’s minions attack Vice President Kamala Harris — an HBCU graduate, member of Alpha Kappa Alpha and an Oakland resident — for having an accent (or blaccent). If we were talking about Awkwafina or Iggy Azalea, or someone who doesn’t naturally speak nor grew up in an environment where they talk this way, sure, this would be a valid point.
But they’re trying desperately to pick on a woman who has been at civil rights marches since her Indian mother Shyamala Gopalan and Jamaican father Donald Harris were pushing her around in a stroller.
Idiotic as it may be, this point they’re trying to push that Harris just fell into Black People Land last week is pointless. I would normally ignore this entire topic, but every time I hear it, I think right back to this post:
Recommended Read: “10 ways to figure out if (s)he really has ‘a black friend’ ~ Note: This may not apply for all black people, but it applies to enough”
While black people are more consistently likely to code-switch in Corporate America, I’ve worked for companies that were predominantly black. It was a breath of fresh air to not have to code-switch around my skinfolk. It was even more refreshing to not be around someone reminding me I’m “so articulate,” “speak so well,” immediately announcing their latest hip-hop trivia or pointing out the sole black guy in the office who I could potentially date.
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As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I want to continue promoting cool products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. As of the first date of Black History Month 2025, each new post will ALWAYS include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site to verify that Amazon Black-owned logo.) I am (slowly) doing this with older, popular posts too. If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.
And for GOP reps like Trump’s VP pick JD Vance and “journalist” Steve Doocy who are brand new to the idea that a sizeable amount of the 46 million black people in the U.S. code-switch, all that tells us is you have no black friends. And if you do have that token associate, they damn sure are not comfortable enough to fully relax around you.
Recommended Read: “What it’s really like being your one black friend ~ Lessons learned from a Lupe Fiasco concert”
But what people like Steve Doocy don’t realize is code-switching is neither artificial nor unprofessional. It’s a matter of people speaking (or one person speaking to a group) and letting them know that you feel welcomed in that environment.