Is America ready to elect a Black woman president?

The big question that has loomed over Kamala Harris ’ presidential campaign from the start: is the United States ready for a Black woman president? It’s so heavily loaded that answering it requires too much history, cultural knowledge, judgment and speculation.

The question hints at the deeply ingrained racism and sexism that is built into the structures of American politics and culture.

Asking if America is “ready” also assumes that history is progress that things move forward in a relatively straight line.

UN Women found only 15 countries where women hold at least 50% of Cabinet minister positions.

When women do get leadership positions, it's often in areas traditionally understood as “women’s” or “minority” issues.

This general trend is reflected in the US , too. After the most recent US election, the Congress has a “record number” of women, yet it is still just 28% .

Kamala Harris is under pressure from a critical section of her own party’s base to modify her position on Israel .

This is a serious and pressing policy issue that has nothing to do with her race or gender.

But it cannot be argued that Clinton lost in 2016 because America was “not ready” for a woman.

In a different context, with a different candidate and a different policy platform, America may well have been “ready” in 2016 .