Topic: African Americans

During a Breakfast Club interview, Kamala Harris addressed questions about her heritage, citing her birth in Oakland as proof of her "black cred." The hosts criticize her use of the term "us" to link herself to the ADOS experience, arguing that her Jamaican and Indian lineage makes her a woman of color but not an American Descendant of Slavery.

CNN's Don Lemon and commentator April Ryan engaged in a heated debate regarding whether Kamala Harris can be classified as "African American." Lemon argued there is a distinction between being black and being a descendant of American slavery. The hosts suggest Lemon was later forced to "kowtow" to the network's preferred narrative after expressing this authentic view.

Kimberly Crenshaw, executive director of the African American Policy Forum and a law professor at Columbia and UCLA, defines Critical Race Theory as the study of how law has historically sustained racial inequality. Appearing on MSNBC with Mehdi Hassan, she explains that the framework originated in law schools to examine the infrastructure from slavery to the present. The discussion also revisits Crenshaw's coining of the term "intersectionality" as a prism for understanding compounding forms of disadvantage.

The discussion centers on the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and its role as a purported propaganda hub. Reference is made to a Smithsonian document regarding "Whiteness" and its influence on recent corporate diversity training at Fortune 500 companies like Coca-Cola. The segment highlights the shift from President Barack Obama's initial message of reconciliation at the museum's opening to what is described as a radical left narrative of racial retribution.

The segment introduces Melville J. Herskovitz, a white Jewish anthropologist considered the "Elvis of African American studies" for mainstreaming the connection between African and Black American cultures. The hosts question how an outsider came to define the narrative of Black history in the mid-20th century. They discuss his 1941 book, *The Myth of the Negro Past*, and how his academic framework continues to influence modern perceptions of Black identity.

Interracial marriage rates among Black Americans have increased significantly, with one in four Black males marrying outside their race as of 2012. Experts suggest that within a generation, the majority of the Black population will be mixed-race, potentially leading to a new identity distinct from traditional African American culture. This trend is heavily promoted by "Madison Avenue" advertising, which some view as an attempt to "blot out" distinct racial identities in favor of a homogenized consumer culture.

A throwback clip from 2019 features Don Lemon and April Ryan debating whether Kamala Harris is "black enough" or truly "African American" given her Jamaican and South Asian heritage. Lemon argues there is a distinction between being black and being African American. The hosts note that Lemon later changed his tone after reportedly receiving a corrective phone call from Oprah Winfrey.

A 1991 clip of Justice Clarence Thomas describes his confirmation hearing as a "high-tech lynching for uppity blacks" who think for themselves. The hosts discuss how Thomas has been historically demonized by the Democratic establishment and popular media, including Bill Cosby’s "A Different World." They also note his initial exclusion from the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

A Mayo Clinic study found that African Americans, specifically Somali Americans, exhibit significantly higher antibody responses to the rubella vaccine compared to Caucasians. This finding supports the concept of personalized medicine, suggesting that standard vaccine dosages may not be appropriate for all ethnic groups. The lack of peer-reviewed media coverage on these biological differences is criticized as a form of systemic oversight.

Racial identifiers for black Americans have shifted over decades from Negro and colored to black and African American. Jesse Jackson is credited with popularizing "African American" in the late 1980s, a move some view as a step toward political correctness that obscured specific lineage. Many prefer the term ADOS to specify ancestry tied to American chattel slavery rather than a generic skin color.

The "Conservative Twins" argue against the term "African American," stating that black people born in the U.S. are simply Americans. They criticize the allegiance to Africa among those who have never visited the continent. While the hosts find the delivery "cringey," they agree that the distinction between nationality and lineage is often poorly understood.

Adam Curry and Mo return for episode 33 of the Mo Facts podcast after a brief hiatus due to illness. They briefly address early 2020 reports indicating that the African-American community was being disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The hosts decide to pivot away from pandemic-heavy coverage to focus on the political landscape.

A CNN clip features a heated debate between two black women regarding the comparison of the slave trade to modern illegal immigration. The pro-immigration pundit questions the "blackness" of her opponent for not supporting the Democrat party line. The anti-immigration pundit argues that the forced arrival of enslaved ancestors cannot be equated to the voluntary crossing of borders by non-citizens.

CNN's Don Lemon and April Ryan engaged in a heated debate over whether Kamala Harris is "African American" or simply "black." Lemon argued there is a distinction based on lineage (ADOS), while Ryan insisted Harris's blackness should be sufficient. Mo praises Lemon for maintaining the distinction and notes Ryan's recent induction into the Delta Sigma Theta sorority as a sign of her "Boule" alignment.

The definition of "African American" has shifted since the presidency of Barack Obama, as mass immigration from Africa has changed the demographic meaning of the term black. Yvette Carnell and Antonio Moore, known as Tone Talks, coined the ADOS hashtag to provide a specific identity for descendants of slaves. Tensions exist within the Congressional Black Caucus, as members like Ilhan Omar represent immigrant backgrounds rather than the specific lineage of American descendants of slavery.