Does the Caribbean Have Reasons to Hope for a Kamala Harris Presidency?

The sudden rise of US Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the Democratic national ticket has made the possibility of a US President with Caribbean roots a very real one.

Kamala Harris’ father, economist and Stanford professor emeritus Donald Harris, was born in Brown’s Town, a small city located near the northern coast of Jamaica; and the current US Vice President still has family living in the Caribbean island.

Inhabitants of Jamaica and other Caribbean nations applauded Kamala Harris’ designation as the running mate and eventual VP of US President Joe Biden back in 2020, but there was very little talk then about what having a woman with Caribbean roots in the White House could do for the region.

Now that Kamala Harris has a very credible shot at occupying the Oval Office, can the Caribbean hope for something more than pride and representational brownie points? Is there a chance that, as President, Kamala Harris’ origins might translate into policy?

Caribbean Visits

In spite of her roots, Kamala Harris has spent very little time as a politician in the Caribbean.

The White House registers only two ocassions in which Harris visited the region as VP: once in April of 2022 and another in June of 2023.

In 2022, Harris met with Caribbean leaders to cultivate the US-Caribbean partnership in the name of the Biden administration, commiting to work with regional leaders in topics such as economic recovery, the climate crisis, security and “other areas of mutual concern.”

A year later, in a follow-up to her previous visit, she attended the  US-Caribbean Leaders Meeting in Nassau (The Bahamas) and announced US$100 million in US assistance to tackle regional issues such as Haiti’s humanitarian crisis, firearms trafficking and climate change.

The Biden administration’s interactions with the Caribbean haven’t been as publicized as those held with other regions. However, a relationship does exist. Under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, US-Caribbean relations have been mostly directed towards climate-related programs, improving access to development financing for Caribbean projects and upgrading the region’s capabilities for education. During the Biden administration, Jamaica alone received US$764 million to build resilience to climate-related shocks.

Jamaica and other two Caribbean nations are current recipients of US technical assistance which aims to promote the transition towards electric vehicles, which in itself is part of the White House’s plan to address the climate crisis in the region. Additionally, USAID is currently assessing the potential to expand rooftop solar power in Jamaica.

Caribbean-Americans for Harris

Members of the Caribbean diaspora in the US have responded with enthusiasm to the prospect of a Kamala Harris presidency.

From community organizing to Facebook groups, Jamaican-Americans and other US nationals with roots in the Caribbeans (many of them located in Florida) are excited and showing their support for the Harris campaign.

“I can feel the electric buzz of excitement coursing through our island nation and the wider Caribbean,” Jamaican-born Hazelle P. Rogers, Comissioner of Broward County, told the Miami Herald. “Her Jamaican heritage is a source of pride for us, and we see in her a reflection of our own values of resilience, determination, and community.”

“There has been a groundswell of support among Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals,”Dale Holness, former mayor of Broward County, told Jamaican publication The Gleaner. “There is a momentum building with the Jamaican and Caribbean communities for the Harris for president campaign.”

Caribbean excitement for the prospect of a Kamala Harris presidency is mostly buzz and pride, at least for the moment. Just like in 2020, Caribbean nationals and members of the diaspora hope that they can consider a US President (and a particularly significant one, in this case) as one of their own.

As for policy, it will take a victory and some waiting to determine whether Kamala Harris has any real interest in improving not only US-Caribbean relations, but the economic, technological and global prospects of the region. If one was to take her recent record in the region as a sign of things to come, however, Caribbean leaders should keep their hopes in check.