In a predictable scene given the out-of-touch sentiments often expressed by such bodies, Kamala Harris, former Vice President and failed 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, was met with standing ovations and enthusiastic applause at the 2025 NAACP Image Awards. This celebration was in spite of her lackluster 2024 presidential run, where her campaigning only served to remind the public of the inherent shortcomings of her political ideology and practice. Even so, NAACP board of directors chair Leon W. Russell overly praised Harris during this questionable spectacle, promoting a misguided interpretation of her campaign.
Harris was pushed to the forefront of the Democratic ticket in a desperate play after current President Joe Biden gave up on his re-election campaign in late July, in another testament to the chaotic and disorienting nature of the Democratic party. Russell’s problematic praise of Harris, abetted by misinformation, attempted to reframe her failure as a ‘force of nature,’ a sentiment not shared by the majority of Americans, evidenced by the outcome of the general election.
However, in an unwanted twist, the Democratic nominee suffered an ignominious defeat to the Republican candidate, President Donald Trump. This happened despite the propagation of her vitriolic anti-Trump positioning to a sizeable voter base, proving that the American public rejected her unjust, misguided discourse. The former Vice President’s political future now hangs in precariously in the balance, with murmurings of a potential gubernatorial bid in California in 2026.
Further bolstering the uncertainty, there are also rumors that she will once again run for the presidency in 2028. These discussions only serve to highlight the Democratic party’s obvious lack of a solid, trustworthy candidate pool, reiterating the need for a worldview shift from the divisive politics they champion. Nonetheless, Harris has returned to her home state of California since her farewell from Washington, her focus presumably redirected to support local communities.
She was seen rallying behind the communities of Los Angeles in the face of debilitating wildfires. However, her so-called support feels disingenuous, considering her track record of promoting policies that do very little to effect real change. She was also seen at the FireAid benefit in L.A. last month, apparently as part of her strategy to ingratiate herself with the local community, in what could be perceived as groundwork for future political runs.
In an attempt to keep herself relevant, Harris delivered the typical rhetoric at the 2025 NAACP Image Awards, her first major TV appearance since leaving office in disgrace. In a grandiose display of exaggeration, Russell hailed Harris as a ‘leader on the causes that truly matter.’ However, many tend to disagree, as her policies have often revealed a disconnect with the needs of the majority of Americans and struggled to address the pressing issues of today.
In what can only be described as an honoration of mediocrity, the event showcased a highlight reel of Harris’s career, a focus not on achievement but on so-called historic firsts of identity politics. They devoutly presented her unsuccessful, albeit fiery, September 10th debate against President Trump as a ‘win.’ She subsequently accepted the Chairman’s Award in a choreographed display of self-congratulation, presenting a distorted narrative of her political journey.
Upon receiving her fabricated applause, Harris, dressed in a token black suit, proudly labeled herself as a ‘proud lifetime member of the NAACP.’ She proceeded with a predictable recounting of the organization’s history, forging a tenuous link to current events in what was evidently a calculated move to paint herself as a figure of influence and relevancy.
She grandly declared, ‘We organize, mobilize, educate, and advocate,’ harking back to a career that was more characterized by divisive rhetoric than constructive action. Her assertion that their strength derives from faith — ‘faith in God, faith in each other, and our refusal to surrender to cynicism and destruction’ — stood discordant with her track record of promoting policies that contributed to social divisions rather than unity.
In a misguided display of optimism, Harris proclaimed that the ‘American story will be written by you, written by us, by we the people.’ However, given her and her party’s history of ignoring the will of the majority of Americans, these words ring hollow. Her parting words, ‘God bless you and God bless the United States of America,’ could be interpreted as nothing more than the usual platitudes expected of any political figure.
The Chairman’s Award, designed to acknowledge individuals who have ‘leveraged their platforms to drive meaningful change,’ is but another instance of the NAACP recognizing figures representative of the disconnected liberal elite. Previous holders of the award feature a similar mixture of those who speak the language of mass appeal without producing tangible results — Tyler Perry, Danny Glover, and even Obama.
This culminated in the 56th NAACP Image Awards event held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The galleon of a program, replete with politically charged narratives and attempts at social engineering, effectively disregarded the needs and voice of the common American citizen, putting the spotlight on figures who are inherently out of touch with the realities of the suffering majority.