Oh my. Ms. Harris is American-born. That her parents were not is irreleveant. Let's please spare ourselves another "birther" debate. She is 100% eligible. Like all anchor-babies are.

See, I'm not on this site enough to know if it's frequented by trolls or bots or what. But nowhere in my post is it suggested this topic means much to me at all. I don't care if Harris is Martian. I do however take notice when the media says she's Martian and Harris remains mum on the subject. So in an effort to ascertain fact from fiction I make reasonable inquiry, and posters here want to ascribe some nefarious motives to my question. I wish people would simply share my curiosity. Instead you get comments that Trump lies too. People get sidetracked so easily that thoughtful discourse seems a thing of the past.

Now that was the most straightforward answer yet. And her efforts are seemingly abetted by a willing media.

I thought my initial post was pretty straight forward: why is Kamala Harris's ancestry so ambiguous? Especially in this age of identity politics, accuracy about heritage should not be all that hard to pin down. Her published biographies suggest her lineage to be California-born to a mother who emigrated from India and a father who emigrated from Jamaica. That's plain and simple to me. My friend commenting above suggests a claim of African American ancestry can be made by virtue of "American" being anyone born in the western hemisphere, and the "African" relating to "most" Jamaicans being brought over from Africa. Well, I don't buy that argument; I don't believe a guy in Peru considers himself American rather than Peruvian just because he lives in the western hemisphere. And I am sure there were indigenous people in Jamaica subjugated into s***ery by the British and Dutch who were not brought from Africa.
I remain curious about the motives behind multiple media outlets that attribute African American ancestry to a candidate who has not professsed as much herself, yet has not corrected them either.

I didn’t attribute any level of importance to my question. I said the matter was confusing and I couldn’t understand why multiple media outlets might be misreporting her ethnicity. I agree, what matter is her ethnicity anyway? But since the media thinks it’s important enough to mention so frequently, we should all want to be sure they’re getting it correct.

Well said. But so many news outlets have referred to her as African American I feel it is incumbent upon her to correct it if it is indeed inaccurate.

I think it’s a fair question deserving a serious answer. I mean Elizabeth Warren was excoriated by the media for “cultural appropriation” of Native American ancestry. I don’t understand whether Harris is getting a free pass or her African American ancestry is legitimate.

I am confused. The media frequently describes Harris as African American. Yet her Wikipedia bio says her mother was born in India and her father born in Jamaica; both highly successful professionals who immigrated to California in the early ‘70s. I have not heard Harris claim African American heritage directly, but she hasn’t denied it either. The US Senate web page lists her as one of 3 serving African American senators. I cannot find a basis in her heritage for that determination. I’m not looking to be judgmental one way or another. I’m just looking for clarity.

From 1609 (Jamestown) till 1776 (Independence) these were British colonies. Is England therefore expected to cough up the lion's share?
US government culpability is technically 1789 (ratification of the Constitution) thru 1863 (Emancipation Proclamation), with legislative curtailments on s***ery throughout the early to mid 1800's until the institution was ultimately dismantled by force.

This is a generational war of attrition at the b****t box. Older folks clutching to the 20th century values and traditions will be displaced, cycle after cycle, by younger v**ers, largely unquestioning of media reporting and wholly indoctrinated on America's campuses. It's not a matter of "do something" or "do nothing", it's about passing down to upcoming generations American values and traditions. That's what's not happening and it will be to the detriment of us all.