During a speech last Friday at Netroots Nation, Sen. Kamala Harris (D.-Calif) called out the phrase “identity politics and it’s use by the Democratic Party, for the division that it creates.
The phrase ‘identity politics’ is a pejorative meant to minimize and marginalize issues that "define our identities as Americans," said Sen. Harris during her speech on Friday as reported by Conor Beck of the Washington Free Beacon.
She later tweeted a video clip from her speech and included a quote.
The phrase "identity politics" has been used to minimize and marginalize issues that impact us all. No more. We won't be silent. pic.twitter.com/8CQsLJH3Uz
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 4, 2018
The "uncomfortable truth" is that "the folks who helped build the Democratic Party and have been the backbone of the Democratic Party have not always been given equal voice in the Democratic Party. And we need to deal with that," said the senator in her speech on Friday.
Senator Harris is one of the Democratic Party's top presidential prospects for the 2020 election cycle, reported Politico.
Several hours later she posted another tweet.
We won’t be silent about immigrant rights.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 4, 2018
We won’t be silent about women's rights.
We won’t be silent about equal justice under the law.
These issues that they’re trying to diminish or demean — these are the very things that define our identity as Americans.
"I have a problem, guys, with that phrase, ‘identity politics,'...."Because let’s be clear, when people say that, it’s a pejorative. That phrase is used to divide, and it is used to distract. Its purpose is to minimize and marginalize issues that impact all of us. It is used to try and shut us up," said Harris.
The phrase "identity politics" is used when discussing issues concerning race, gender, sexual orientation and civil rights issues. "And yes, we are talking about those issues and we won't be shut up and we won't be silenced!" the senator said.
That's right.@KamalaHarris #NN18 pic.twitter.com/B2HkUUa0gb
— Netroots Nation (@Netroots_Nation) August 3, 2018
Sen. Harris's final tweet on the matter expounded on her earlier sentiments and and quoted a Politico article on the matter.
We won’t be silent about race. We won’t be silent about sexual orientation. We won’t be silent about immigrants rights. These are the very issues that define our identity as Americans.https://t.co/KBRJ5aGYlr
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 4, 2018
"These issues they are trying to diminish and demean are the very issues that will define our identity as Americans," said Senator Harris.