Kamala Harris’ plan for black men hailed as a ‘game changer’

Presidential candidate Kamala Harris is being praised for her direct approach to black men after months of concern about traditionally Democratic voters leaning toward the Republican Party — or staying home — this election campaign.

While some Democratic circles are downplaying concerns about black male voters, stating that black men are the second most loyal voting bloc after black women, others are concerned about various polls showing a small but significant change within the variety of black men supporting the GOP candidate, former president Donald Trump.

On Monday, Vice President Harris unveiled her “Agenda of Opportunity for Black Men.” According to the Harris-Walz campaign, the excellent plan is primarily intended to assist Black men secure financial freedom and reduce costs to “better provide for themselves and their families and protect their rights.”

Harris is proposing as much as $1 million in “fully moral” business loans for black entrepreneurs and increasing the variety of well-paying jobs in “high-demand industries” for black men through education, training and mentoring programs. It also calls for the creation of a “regulatory framework” for cryptocurrencies and other digital assets to guard Black men’s investments.

Kamala Harris’ plan for black men goes further and addresses health care. The Democratic presidential candidate is proposing to launch a national health equity initiative specializing in Black men, who’re disproportionately impacted by mental health, prostate cancer, diabetes and other health issues. Harris also calls for the legalization of recreational marijuana and “creating opportunities” for Black Americans to “succeed in this new industry.”

“This is the most direct policy regarding Black men that I can remember from a presidential candidate,” said Blake, who served in various roles in former President Barack Obama’s administration and through Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign.

Blake said Harris’s proposals for black men are “game-changing.”

Democrats, in turn, indicate that Trump and Republicans don’t have any substantive plan for black men. In fact, they are saying Republican policies would further harm them.

“(Trump) has a deep, dark history of treating Black men like second-class citizens,” Seawright said, noting Trump’s calls for executing the Central Park Five for crimes they didn’t commit and pushing racist birther conspiracies against Obama, America’s first Black president.

“Donald Trump is a walking, talking threat to Black men,” he continued. “Everything he stood for and everything he stands for will literally undermine the progress we have made and put the Black family at risk.”

Blake noted that Trump took credit for “what other people did,” Congress, including stimulus checks through the Covid-19 pandemic and criminal justice reform through the First Step Act. Even beyond that, Blake said, determining decisions ought to be based on what you do, not what you say you probably did.

“Can anyone actually say what (Trump) will actually do to help black men?” – he asked.

Blake continued: “You have a Black woman who is making policy for you to make money and stay alive, (and) you have Donald Trump who is constantly racist and espousing white supremacy, who is literally calling for the death of Black people and the destruction of the Black community.”

Harris made direct appeals to Black men even before she emerged as the party’s nominee following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race. As vp, Kamala Harris hosted Black male leaders at her Washington residence and convened meetings with Black entrepreneurs on the White House to assist them scale their businesses. She also launched into an “Economic Opportunity Tour” to have interaction black men across the country, inviting black celebrities such as DL Hughley and Michael Ealy to participate.

As in her show released on Monday, Kamala Harris stated on the time that her approach was to “understand the obstacles that have traditionally and currently exist to enable anyone, including Black men, to achieve economic wealth.” She added: “Let me tell you, I don’t think it’s enough to just talk about economic policy around reducing unemployment.”

As supporters of the policy travel the country interacting with Black men, they are saying that while Black men have real concerns concerning the direction of the country and where they slot in it, fears about a flood of Black men defecting to the Republican Party are overblown.

“It’s definitely not as bad as people say,” Blake noted.

Seawright, who agreed, said that “much of” Black men’s skepticism and cynicism toward Harris or the Democratic Party is the results of “continuous” misinformation and misinformation.

“They consume news and information mainly on their devices and on the Internet,” he lamented. But Seawright warned that Black men who’re “least likely to participate” within the 2024 election are “those who are most impacted.”

Seawright said the election of Harris and Democrats will even elevate outstanding black men to Congress who will ultimately rally black men and their communities, including U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York state, who could turn out to be the primary black speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

A Democratic insider said voters even have a probability to elect Black Rep. Colin Allred to the U.S. Senate in Texas and provides Democrats a majority within the House, which might result in more Black men in leadership positions, including Republicans. Joe Neguse of Colorado, who could turn out to be an assistant speaker of the House of Representatives.

“In every major social movement in the history of this world, Black men have always been on the front lines… and we have always tried to do our little Black jobs,” Seawright said.

“The world depends on us. The country depends on us. The Constitution depends on us… (and) our community depends on us.”

More history