(DailyVantage.com) – Vice President Kamala Harris faced criticism online for adopting what many perceived as a “new accent” while speaking at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 2024 Phoenix Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C. on Saturday night. During her speech, Harris greeted the audience with, “Hello to all of my Divine Nine brothers and sisters. And to all my HBCU brothers and sisters,” referencing her connection to historically Black Greek organizations and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The social media account End Wokeness shared a clip of the speech on X (formerly Twitter), mocking Harris with the caption: “BREAKING: Kamala Harris unveils a new accent at the Black Caucus Dinner.” This sparked further ridicule, with Paul A. Szypula, who has over 232,700 followers, responding, “New? Or is it her old fake black accent? Either way, it’s incredibly insulting to black people. Shame on Kamala.”
Other critics also jumped in. Collin Rugg, who has 1.4 million followers, commented, “NEW: Kamala Harris brings out her new accent at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 2024 Phoenix Awards Dinner,” and highlighted Harris’s pattern of using different accents throughout her campaign. Columnist James Hirsen sarcastically referred to it as Harris’s “accent du jour.”
Harris’s fluctuating accents have been a recurring topic of criticism. Earlier this month, side-by-side video clips showed her using noticeably different tones while speaking at campaign events in Detroit and Pittsburgh, just hours apart. This prompted Fox News reporter Peter Doocy to question White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about Harris’s apparent “southern accent” in Detroit. Jean-Pierre brushed off the question, emphasizing that Americans are more concerned about issues like the economy and healthcare than how the Vice President speaks.
Harris, raised in Canada, has been scrutinized for her shifting accents, which critics say change depending on her audience. Her “Divine Nine” comment at the event referenced her membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a historically Black sorority she joined while attending Howard University.
Harris is currently focused on courting Black voters as she gears up for upcoming engagements, including a sit-down with the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia and a live-streamed rally headlined by Oprah Winfrey. President Joe Biden, speaking at the same Congressional Black Caucus dinner, praised Harris as the first Black and South Asian woman vice president, adding, “God willing, she will become the first woman president of the United States of America.”
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