Black Americans have seen significant gains in employment and health care under the Biden-Harris administration, but Vice President Kamala Harris still plans to work to earn the support from Black men, she recently told a panel of National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) members.
“We have created over 16 million new jobs,” Harris said. “We have the lowest Black unemployment rate in generations. We have invested in small businesses and they’re to the benefit of many people, including Black, small businesses, and the highest rate of creation of new Black small businesses in years.”
During an interview with NABJ journalists, Harris pointed to the high prevalence of diabetes in the Black community, saying Black people are “60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes.”
“We have done the work of capping the cost of prescription medication for our seniors for issues like insulin,” Harris said. “And again I’m speaking to the Black journalists who care about all people but in particular I’ll talk about the impact on Black people.”
She added that former President Donald Trump had “promised to do it” but failed. Trump, who recently appeared on Fox News in a panel discussion, has touted that his policies benefit Black Americans. However, he came under fire after his comments that illegal immigrants have been taking “Black jobs.”
Harris’ remarks during a nearly one-hour conversation with NABJ come as both presidential candidates continue on the campaign trail with rallies, media appearances, and advertising to reach voters before the November 5 general election.
During Harris’ interview, she was pressed several times on issues such as race, rising childcare costs, the war in Gaza, and guns. She also pledged to “eliminate medical debt” from credit scores for Black families, a group she says struggles with high rates of medical debt.
Harris’ message to Black men
At one point a Black journalist challenged Harris about how she plans to gain support from Black men. Polling shows that some young Black men are considering voting for Trump because they feel he’s “better for the economy,” the panelist said.
“What is your message to young Black male voters who feel left out of this economy?”
Harris responded by first saying, “I think it’s very important to not operate from the assumption that Black men are in anybody’s pocket.”
“You gotta earn their vote. So I’m working to earn the vote,” Harris continued. “Not assuming I’m going to have it because I am Black but because the policies and the perspectives I have understand what we must do to recognize the needs of all communities. And I intend to be a president for all people.”
Harris pointed to many Black men having aspirations to start companies but not having the resources necessary. Harris said that she also intends to help Black entrepreneurs gain access to funding to start businesses.
“I started way before I was at the top of the ticket on what I called an economic opportunity tour focused on Black men,” she said. “Understanding that, for example, we have so many entrepreneurs in the community who do not have access to capital, but they’ve got great ideas, an incredible work ethic, the ambition, the aspiration, the dream, but don’t have the relationships necessarily.”
“So my work has included as vice president getting billions more dollars into community banks, including working with the big Banks to do that so that we can increase access to Capital for our small businesses,” Harris said.
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‘My opportunity economy’
The vice president insisted her “opportunity economy” would help Americans thrive and tackle inflationary issues.
Under her plan, she would help to create new, affordable housing options and offer thousands of dollars to those buying a house for the first time. She also spoke about it during her first and what could be the only presidential debate with Trump before voters go to the polls in November.
“Part of my plan, under my opportunity economy, is to give first-time homebuyers a $25,000 down payment assistance so they can just get their foot in the door to be able to then engage in what will prove to be their opportunity to build intergenerational wealth,” Harris said.
Reparations for Black Americans
The issue surrounding whether the U.S. Congress should institute payments to descendants of enslaved people also came up.
While Harris didn’t explicitly state her position on reparations, she emphasized the need for commissions to first study how racism and slavery have affected generations of Black Americans and how best to provide solutions.
Harris quickly pivoted to her economic plan that she says will help Black people tackle student loan and medical debt as well as “biased in home appraisals.”
“Part of what we can do right now, is for example, what I’m talking about in terms of building an opportunity economy, which is addressing explicitly the obstacles that historically and currently exist. And dealing with them,” she said.
Overall views on reparations are divided, with 77 percent of Black Americans in support of reparation payments and about 68 percent of the general U.S. population opposed to it, according to a poll from the Pew Research Center.
“We just need to speak truth about history, in spite of the fact that some people are trying to erase history,” Harris explained. “We need to speak the truth about the generational impact of our history in terms of the generational impact of slavery..redlining of Jim Crow laws, I could go on and on and on. These are facts that have had impact.”
“We need to speak truth about it in a way that’s about providing solutions. And frankly, I think that part of that is studying it to figure out exactly what we need to do.”
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A ban on assault weapons
On gun control, Harris emphasized that both she and her running mate, Democrat Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are gun owners—news that may have shocked some people.
“We’re not trying to take anybody’s guns away, but we do need an assault weapons ban,” she said. While she once supported a federal gun buyback program in 2019, her campaign has since stated she no longer backs it, Fox News reported.
Harris voiced support for universal background checks before a person is allowed to purchase guns. When asked about illegal handgun purchases, she pointed to the need to close “gun show loopholes,” adding that “we need to address each entry point in the issue.”
