Why One Black Man Went From Skepticism to Support for Kamala Harris

When you say the word “prosecutor” within the presence of Khari Noerdlinger, painful memories come to mind.

At age 19, Noerdlinger was attacked by three men armed with guns. When he defended himself in self-defense, fatally stabbing one in all the attackers, a New Jersey prosecutor charged him with murder.

Noerdlinger and his family denied the allegationsAND They were released after the judge ruled that the prosecutor committed prosecutorial misconduct. But the trauma of his arrest comes to mind when conversations concerning the justice system come to mind.

Then Kamala Harris showed up.

While Harris’ profession as a former prosecutor was touted as an asset in her campaign against former President Donald Trump, who was convicted of 34 crimes related to his business dealings, her role was also used to brand her as a “cop.” Harris’s false accusations that she put “thousands of black men” in prison have been debunked, but for survivors of injustice within the system, a prosecutorial fame isn’t necessarily an asset.

“I didn’t support Kamala Harris at first,” Noerdlinger said, adding, “It wasn’t the best choice for me when (Joe) Biden was first elected.”

Today, Noerdlinger has a unique perspective. Now 27, he works as a project manager at Dr. Jamila T. Davis’ Voices International Publications. Noerdlinger said that, just as his own story evolved, he watched Harris evolve on her journey from prosecutor to politician.

“I’m a real believer in people having time to grow. She was in the Biden administration for the last four years,” Noerdlinger noted. “She helped promote different programs that help our people.”

He continued: “You could tell she had a change of heart and had to adapt to her environment, which was a much bigger position than being a prosecutor. And she’s showing that in her campaign, dealing with everything that’s thrown her way in a positive … way.”

A key example of Harris’ rise in politics has been her stance on marijuana. As attorney general, Harris didn’t support California’s efforts to legalize marijuana. In March of this 12 months, as vice chairman, Harris convened a White House roundtable with rapper Fat Joe and recently issued pardons. Harris declared, “Nobody should go to jail for smoking pot.” In 2023, President Biden pardoned hundreds of people that had been charged with marijuana on federal lands, and the Biden-Harris administration has led efforts to reclassify the drug.

For Noerdlinger, who can be the daddy of a young boy, the proven fact that Kamala Harris was a prosecutor isn’t any longer a disqualifying factor, despite his own traumatic experiences with the prosecutor.

“We need more police from our communities. How are you going to bring in someone who is not from the community and put them in the community?” he asked. “So of course people from the community should… go into these jobs.”

Noerdlinger also cites concerns concerning the impact of Project 2025 on Black communities, which he believes has a direct bearing on Black men on this presidential election cycle.

“My message to all black men like me is: Honestly, I didn’t want to vote either. But we have to. Right now, it’s crucial that we all come together as a community,” he urged.

“Some people say… ‘Oh, she was a cop before… she’s a woman.’ Honestly, I support her because she’s a woman. Black women are some of the toughest people I’ve ever known in my life, just like my mother,” Noerdlinger added. “Black women are very tough… It’s time to come together and support those who support you.”