Vice President Kamala Harris, now the Democratic nominee for president, has pushed a message of “equality” rather than “parity” as part of the Biden administration’s policies, something she also talked about as President Biden’s running mate and during her 2020 bid for the presidency.
Her first mention of equality came in the 2020 election cycle, when Joe Biden put her on his ticket. Harris posted an animated video explaining the difference between “equality and equality,” which was criticized at the time and even compared to the beliefs of Karl Marx.
Equity, which she has repeatedly defined as a means of distribution and assistance that allows everyone to “end up in the same place,” was integrated into Biden administration policy early on, as Harris and President Biden Response to COVID-19 Work to combat the epidemic will be done through the formation of a Health Equity Task Force.
“Equality means, ‘Hey, everybody should get the same amount.’ The problem with that is, everybody doesn’t start from the same place,” said Harris, who narrated the video.
“The aim is to provide people with the necessary resources and support so that everyone can be on the same level and compete on the same level,” he said.
Former Wyoming GOP Representative Liz CheneyA prominent critic of former President Trump said at the time that Harris’ animated explanation sounded “exactly like Karl Marx.”
When Harris was still a presidential candidate, TheGrio asked her if she supported reparations for Black Americans, and she spoke about the idea that not everyone starts from the same place.
“We had slavery for over 200 years. We had Jim Crow for almost a century. We had legalized discrimination and segregation. And now we have segregation and discrimination that is not legal but still exists and hinders progress. We have housing disparities, we have education disparities, we have income disparities, and we have to recognize that not everybody in this country started out on an equal footing, and particularly not people of color,” Harris said.
US Vice President Kamala Harris attends an infrastructure event addressing high speed internet in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House on June 3, 2021 in Washington, US. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
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He also cited some of the legislation he proposed as a senator, The LIFT Act, saying at the time that when you “take into account that they’re not starting from the same place, they’re not starting at the same level,” this policy would directly benefit Black Americans because “the disparities are so great.”
Harris spoke about equality, and specifically equitable distribution, during a Black History Month event in February 2021.
“We’re also talking about equality very clearly, understanding that we should be thinking explicitly about the fact that, yes, we want everyone to get the same amount — that feels right — but not everyone starts in the same place. Some people start at first base; some people start at third base. And if the goal is really about equality, it should be about the goal of saying everyone should end up in the same place. And since we didn’t start in the same place, some people may need more: equitable distribution,” he said.
In July 2021, Harris-centered similarity during a speech on the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“This is a civil rights fight, a human rights fight,” he said. “It’s about equality, and whether or not we’re actually committed to the principles of equality, there’s every way we can as a government and as a society to implement those important principles.”
The vice president spoke with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen at the Friedman Bank Forum in December 2021 about “placing equities firmly at the center” of the Biden administration’s economic policy.
Yellen said the conversation also focused on equality within the Treasury Department, adding that she has completed “Treasury’s first-ever equity review,” which involves “looking across the department and asking: Where are our operations not as inclusive as they could be?”
During the Friedman Bank Forum in October 2022, Harris said the administration needs to address those who cannot access enough capital to start businesses, as well as families who cannot afford homes, and students who are unable to access education because they live in an “underserved community” or do not benefit from “intergenerational wealth”.
“So let’s deal with that disconnect — what we also call inequality, because we see that people in our country are having an experience that is not equal. And that’s why we talk about equity, because we recognize that not everybody starts on the same footing. They don’t start from the same place, even if they have the same God-given ability,” Harris said during the forum.
US Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a speech as US President Joe Biden graces the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC on July 26, 2021 (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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The Vice President went viral during an interview with Priyanka Chopra Jonas at the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum in September 2022. The Vice President spoke about the government’s response Hurricane Ianthat divided communities in Florida and the Carolinas, and discussed plans to address climate, and said he started one of the first “environmental justice offices” as San Francisco district attorney.
“Our lowest-income communities and our communities of color are the most impacted by these extreme conditions and impacted by issues that are not their own,” he told Jonas during the interview.
He added, “We have to address this problem in a way that resources are given out on an equitable basis, understanding that we fight for equality, but we also have to fight for equity; understanding that not everybody starts from the same place. And if we want people to be in an equitable place, sometimes we have to take those inequities into account and do that work.”
Harris also reiterated her equality message when she addressed a group of Black business owners and entrepreneurs in May 2023.
“We talk about equality. We truly believe that’s a good principle, despite what some so-called leaders may try to suggest. We’re proud of the fact that equality is one of our guiding principles, we’re proud of the fact that we understand that equality is important, but not everybody starts out on the same footing,” Harris said.
Echoing a familiar definition, Harris said equality meant everyone started from the same place.
“Equality includes acknowledging that this may not be the case, but we want to give everyone an equal opportunity to compete and not only survive, but to thrive,” the Vice President said.
The same month, Harris said at the White House“Everybody has a right to equality — right? — and everybody should be treated equally. But equality understands that not everybody starts on the same basis. So, if you’re giving everybody the same amount of money, but they’re starting on different bases, are they really going to have the opportunity to compete and achieve? That’s why we’re purposefully, as an administration … so committed to a specific principle, which is the principle of equality.”
Vice President Harris has attempted to define “equality” during her tenure as vice president. (Left: Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Right: (Photo by Kamil Krzacinski/AFP via Getty Images))
Harris said the Biden administration is dedicated to the specific principle of “equity” during the swearing-in ceremony for the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics.
He reiterated many of his details of equality in 2023, saying, “If you’re giving everybody the same amount of money, but they’re starting on a different basis, are they really going to have the opportunity to compete and achieve?”
Harris quickly moved into the race for the Democratic nomination after President Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her last month. During the campaign, she said, “We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity to not only get ahead, but to thrive,” but the word “equality” didn’t specifically come up in her speeches.
Fox News Digital has contacted the Harris campaign for comment.
Fox News’ Ramiro Vargas and Gabriel Hayes contributed to this report.
