Four photographs from the groundbreaking work of Carrie Mae Weems Kitchen table Series (1990) made a cameo appearance in a Kamala Harris campaign ad less than a week before Election Day arrived. Produced and directed by filmmakers Tanya Selvaratnam and Hannah Rosenzweig on behalf of the political action committee Communities United, “Kamala’s table‘ began streaming and broadcasting on digital platforms in the battleground states from Wednesday, October 30, in a last-ditch effort to appeal to voters.
Weems, who received a National Medal of Arts last month, is being praised for the Kitchen table series since his debut. Using a modest dining table as a powerful stage, Weems explores and celebrates black femininity through the lens of intimacy, family, business and daily routine.
“The kitchen table – that’s where we gather with family,” the narrator begins as the ad begins with a slideshow of Weems’ black-and-white photos before moving on to photos of Harris as a child with her mother Shyamala and sister Maya. ‘It’s the place where we eat together and pay our bills. It is where Kamala Harris learned the importance of serving the people.”
The ad references some of Harris’ campaign points on the economy, including her proposals for the economy increased child tax credits and to offer starters on the housing market $25,000 to better afford the down payments.
“Kamala Harris grew up in a middle-class family,” wrote the racial justice organization Communities United, which prioritizes empowering young, female and BIPOC voters in battleground states. message on X. “Like many of us, she learned the value of hard work and service to those at her kitchen table. Weems’ photographs explore the crucial role the kitchen table plays in life’s most important moments.”
Mark Skidmore, CEO of media and communications strategies agency Assemble the Agency, and Gina Belafonte, director and CEO of creative social justice nonprofit Sankofa, were credited with the ad concept. Neither Skidmore nor Belafonte immediately responded Hyperallergic conditions request for comment.
Right: Carrie Mae Weems, “Untitled (Man Reading Newspaper)” (1990)Kitchen table seriesgelatin silver print
