Magic Johnson urges black men to vote for Harris

NBA legend and Hall of Fame point guard Earvin “Magic” Johnson joined Vice President Kamala Harris at her rally in Flint, Michigan on October 4 and he focused most of his energy on getting the message across to Black men to vote for Harris within the upcoming November presidential election.

According to , Johnson began his comments with a temporary history of his and his wife Cookie Johnson’s support for Harris’ political profession.

“I’m here because I’ve known Kamala for over 20 years. Cookie (his wife) and I supported her run for California Attorney General, her run for Senator, and now we support her as Vice President, but now could be crucial moment for all of us, November fifth, we must do the whole lot we are able to, to elect Kamala Harris as the following president of the United States,” Johnson said.

Johnson continued, “There are loads of Black men here and I’m not going to, , not talk to other people, but this is significant. We have to force them to vote, that’s issue primary. Kamala’s opponent last time promised the black community loads of things that he didn’t deliver on, and we’d like to be sure we help black men understand that.

How BLACK ENTERPRISES as we previously reported, Johnson’s speech coincides with the “Athletes for Harris” coalition, which was presented in September as a part of the Harris-Walz campaign.

Johnson, who co-chairs the initiative, has been a centerpiece of the campaign and before appearing on “Flint” with Vice President Harris functionally endorsed Harris in an announcement introducing the coalition.

“I have known Vice President Harris for over 25 years and she can be counted on to deliver on what she promises,” Johnson said. “He will be a president for all people, regardless of race, language, sexual orientation or party line.”

Johnson continued: “During this debate, she showed all of us – and she or he showed the world – that she is prepared to be president, how smart she is and what her plan is for the country. We don’t back down; we’re moving forward. Call on all athletes: do not be afraid to use your platforms – we’d like the involvement of all of you. Share this information with your pals that Vice President Harris has a plan that may move the country forward. Magic Man is on board.

Although the campaign has made it a degree to court black men, and Vice President Harris herself has made it clear that she is specializing in this demographic during a panel of interviews with journalists from the National Association of Black Journalists in September, Trump and the Republican Party trying to capitalize on Black men’s dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party.

According to , interviews with several Black voters, influencers and strategists reflect broader frustrations with the Democratic Party that Republicans have been willing to exploit and are willing to play the long game to ultimately gain their support.

Kenneth Clark, a 43-year-old cybersecurity executive and entrepreneur, reflected that while Trump was sowing discord within the country, he couldn’t immediately see a tangible difference in his life.

“What exactly has this done to us? What exactly has this done to our communities?” Clark told the outlet. “Did it make us stronger? Did it hurt us? We were in the same situation as before.”

Clark continued: “I am not a Trump supporter. But at the same time, I don’t know for sure what plans either side has that directly impact us and our culture.” According to Clark, politicians “work on our emotions, but they don’t really empower us. They want our vote.”

However, the Justice, Equality and Economy PAC, a company that claims to represent 50,000 Black men across Georgia, decided to endorse Harris after previously endorsing Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in 2022. Part of that reasoning is, according to the group’s leader Omar Ali. is that Vice President Harris, unlike Trump, has offered material commitments to minority-owned businesses.

As Ali said, “We finally have a Democratic candidate who actually listens to us and asks what we want and actually understands that we are about more than just criminal reform,” Ali said, referring to Harris. “So it’s a very simple message.”