The Very Specific Reason Kamala Harris Will Never Be Good Enough For Some People

From boardrooms to sports arenas, Black womens excellence is often scrutinized as if it isnt legitimate, innate or rightfully earned. Some of us have been told since grade school that we have to be twice as good, and work twice as hard, to make it. And even then, our credibility  is questioned  and we get overlooked for leadership roles.

The overarching message I get again and again is that Black women just cant be that good  that their talent is somehow a facade.

Take, for instance, the post-debate assessments of the two vice presidential nominees, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), and of their respective running mates, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. The differences across the four nominees were telling. Vance was slick  on camera, but ran up a high count of mistruths , according to fact checkers. Walz was generally agreed to have been not as smooth as Vance, but authentic and decent at staying on message.

However, in my opinion, neither Vances nor Walzs performances nor Trumps, for that matter stood up to Harris.

It was triggering when I heard conservative conspiracy theories that Harris Tiffany & Co. earrings were actually listening devices , or that she was given the questions ahead of time. The most egregious claim came from a Dallas preacher claiming that Harris used witchcraft to win the debate.

The unspoken premise here is that Black women simply cannot lead or excel without assistance. If they perform well, it means something is wrong or something was rigged.

Part of this could be a result of tall poppy syndrome , where people are discounted because of their excellence, not in spite of it. In a CNN panel in September, undecided women voters in Georgia weighed in on the fiery Trump-Harris debate. While polls showed that Harris dominated , some viewers took issue with her performance, not her policies.

As a former executive media trainer, I happen to know that Harris debate performance was stellar. From establishing authority and rapport with an opening handshake to her disciplined and immaculate message delivery  bio, data, contrast, then bait Harris was self-possessed, focused and clear.

Yet one woman on an undecided panel concluded that Harris was a good spokesperson and not much else . She said Harris could represent our country, but that her great showing in the debate didnt qualify her to lead as president.

Im not sure how this woman, and any others who discount Harris excellent debate performance, missed Harris trademark powerful Senate hearing takedowns in the past. This was not talk for talks sake  it was action. Many of us have realized, from her career as a prosecutor and Californias attorney general, that backing down is not in Harris DNA . And that is reinforced by decades of experience.

Why should being an eloquent, focused and compelling communicator disqualify her from being a leader?

I see this weird contradiction often. My own journey as a Black woman in corporate leadership has been littered with similar critiques: too composed, too strategic, too articulate, too polished. It implies that we shouldnt really have these qualities to begin with. And if we somehow do, its a scam.

I hear the stories daily. Black women are constantly questioned, demoted or discounted, not for being incompetent but for performing too well .

Its unnerving when no matter how many credentials you have, some people will still denigrate you as a DEI hire, implying that you only got there because the institution needed a Black person to create the impression of diversity. But we are talented, and we are worthy of the roles we hold. We earn those jobs and those letters behind our names , despite the obstacles.

Being a skilled speaker comes with the territory for a former California attorney general, U.S. senator and now vice president of the United States. There could never be enough polish for these roles.

Great leaders must be great spokespeople its how they convey ideas in appealing ways, and get others to share their vision. Some great leaders just happen to be Black women, and its OK if that makes some people uncomfortable. Black women like Harris persevere despite the criticism. We simply wont back down with our polish and leadership qualities, and thats exactly the kind of leadership our country needs.