On October 14th, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris unveiled a new policy proposal targeting African American men in the United States. The proposal includes forgivable small business loans and opportunities to enter the legal recreational cannabis industry.
Harris’ campaign team and fellow Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, are concerned about whether African American men will turn out to vote in large numbers this year as in previous elections. They are particularly focused on whether these male voters will cast their ballots for Harris or Trump.
This new policy proposal is part of Harris’ efforts to directly engage with African American male voters and make them a more central part of her campaign in the final stages before the election.
The policy includes providing fully forgivable loans of up to $20,000 for entrepreneurs serving underserved communities, totaling 1 million loans, and a commitment to legalize recreational marijuana to help ensure that African American entrepreneurs can enter this emerging industry.
Other proposals include increasing opportunities for African Americans to enter the cryptocurrency industry and launching a national health equity initiative specifically for African American men, aimed at better funding testing, research, and combatting diseases that disproportionately affect this community such as sickle cell anemia.
The Vice President also aims to provide federal incentives to encourage more African American men to undergo teacher training. According to data from the National Teacher and Principal Survey, in the 2020-2021 academic year, African American men made up slightly over 1% of the national public school teacher workforce.
Harris also pledges to expand existing federal programs to forgive a portion of public service education loans to further incentivize more African American men to become teachers. She hopes to utilize organizations like the National Urban League, local governments, and private sector to expand apprenticeships and certification opportunities in African American communities.
While these plans are primarily targeted at the African American community, Harris emphasizes that her economic proposals will benefit all men.
If elected, Harris would become the second black president and the first black female president. Some Democrats believe that the Vice President’s relatively low support among African American males is a significant issue in the election.
According to a survey conducted by the nation’s largest civil rights organization, the NAACP, in September, over a quarter of young African American men stated they would support Trump in the election. In the 2020 election, Biden received approximately 80% of the African American male vote.
Harris’ campaign team is also working to increase support from other male voter groups, including Hispanic men, by establishing an organization called “Hombres con Harris,” which translates to “Men supporting Harris” in Spanish.
Harris’ team plans to organize gender-specific gatherings, including “Black Men events” held in key states, inviting African American male celebrities to attend viewing parties for NFL and NCAA football games. The campaign team stated they also plan to launch new testimonial ads in key states to showcase the voices of local African American men.
Cedric Richmond, co-chair of Harris’ campaign, and former Louisiana congressman, expressed Harris’ desire for African American men to have the necessary conditions for development, such as being able to buy a house, support a family, start businesses, and accumulate wealth.
Republican presidential candidate Trump has also intensified efforts to attract African American and Hispanic voters. He held roundtable meetings with African American entrepreneurs in swing states and is set to participate in a town hall sponsored by the Hispanic television network Univision this week.
(This article is based on reports from Reuters and the Associated Press)