Kamala Harris Is a “First” With Nothing New to Offer

Identity as a Mask for Convention

Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Do you remember your first? Your first kiss? Your first date? Your first — love? What makes a “first” so unforgettable — so unique — is its novelty, its significance as an experience that stands in stark contrast to whatever preceded it. Kamala Harris, born of a Jamaican father and Indian mother, will be the first…