The Limits of ‘Black Girl Magic’Why Marketing Kamala as a Celebrity Failed | Opinion [Video]

Kamala Harris’ October 25 rally in Houston was a spectacle worthy of the best produced concerts: Social media influencers streamed events from backstage and front rows, older political operatives hyped up the crowd, and Beyoncé Knowles, arguably the most famous woman on the planet, came out to endorse the Democratic nominee. That rally followed an Atlanta rally on July 30 featuring Vice President Harris and Megan Thee Stallion, and was followed by a November 1 rally for Harris in Milwaukee that featured performances by rapper Glorilla and a speech from Cardi B.

These events were the culmination of a presidential campaign that leaned heavily into celebrity cachet and Black women’s identification with Kamala Harrisas the living embodiment of a mantra that high achieving Black women have heard since first entering the workforce en masse in the wake of the Civil Rights victories of the late 60’s and early 70’s: “You have …