We should celebrate our separation from the past as part of a broader mission to move on from the past.
The Conservative Party in the United Kingdom has chosen its new leader to replace former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak following their humiliating defeat during the July election. Kemi Badenoch will now be tasked with guiding her political organization out of the dismal aftermath that handed Keir Starmer and his radical Labour Party everything but the kitchen sink.
A kitchen sink that Starmer will soon tax at 45%, along with a water ration. You know, to save the environment.
But while the United States remains (understandably) focused on the nationwide election that has dominated our collective consciousness for what seems like a lifetime, Badenoch stands as an icon of what political leadership could become if it freed itself from its obsession over identity politics.
Much like Kamala Harris, the media fawned over Kemi Badenoch because of her skin color. "Who is Kemi Badenoch, the first Black woman to lead Britain's Conservative Party?" AP News asked. "Kemi Badenoch becomes first Black woman to lead UK Conservatives," declared Reuters. "The U.K. Conservative party's new leader is the first Black woman to lead a major British party," reported NBC News.
But, unlike Kamala Harris, Kemi Badenoch has far more to offer than a bag of Doritos and an accent that changes based on her audience.
Earlier this year at the Conservative Party conference, Badenoch said she was "somebody who wants the color of our skin to be no more significant than the color of our hair or the color of our eyes."
For those who haven't fallen victim to the lie of identity politics, this statement should be entirely uncontroversial, with Badenoch the latest in a long line of voices speaking out against the use of skin color as any form of political tool (positive or negative).
However, the fact is that the United States is hurling itself down an entirely different path: a path that values identity politics over all else.
This election alone, we've seen both sides celebrate their wins with voters based on skin color. Discussions over the "Black vote" or "Hispanic vote" are so common they don't even cause a stir, as if race is a fool-proof indication of ideology. But imagine the surprise that would be sparked by a frantic debate over how to win the blonde vote or the blue-eyed vote or the short vote?
Throughout this election, both campaigns have celebrated diversity to such an extent that -- at times -- it was increasingly difficult to tell them apart. Yes, on the one hand, progress among communities that have historically cast their vote elsewhere should be celebrated. But on the other hand, it still matters why this progress should be celebrated.
Like the rise of Badenoch as the first Black woman to lead a major British political party, we should celebrate our separation from the past as part of a broader mission to move on from the past. And yes, this means moving on from institutional racism that has been defeated. The goal must be to make race as unimportant as eye color and hair color, as Badenoch said, not cement it in place as a relentless tribal division that will forever separate people with labels from which they can never escape.
Of course, when election season rolls around, this might force candidates to talk about policies ... and that's just too difficult to ask these days.