Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has rolled out some new policy proposals aimed specifically at Black men, with plans that include forgivable small business loans and opportunities in the legal recreational marijuana industry.
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On Monday, Harris revealed these proposals as part of her effort to strengthen her connection with Black male voters, a group that Democrats— including former President Barack Obama— are a bit worried about. They’re concerned that turnout among Black men on Nov. 5 might not match previous elections, and they're unsure if Black men will back Harris or her Republican opponent, Donald Trump.
In fact, these new policies are a direct attempt by Harris to appeal more to Black men in the crucial final weeks of her campaign. Reuters was the first to report on this strategy.
The new policies include offering one million fully forgivable loans of up to $20,000 to entrepreneurs in underserved communities. Harris is also promising to legalize recreational marijuana, with a focus on making sure Black entrepreneurs can get into this emerging industry.
She’s proposing other ideas too, like helping Black Americans gain better access to the cryptocurrency industry and launching a national health equity initiative. This initiative would focus on diseases like sickle cell, which disproportionately affect Black men.
While these plans specifically address challenges in the Black community, Harris is also making it clear that her economic proposals will benefit all men.
If she’s elected, Harris would become the second Black president and the first Black woman to hold the office. Some Democrats are worried about the relatively soft support she’s seeing from Black men, while others think that this group is being unfairly blamed for larger issues within her campaign.
A September poll conducted by the NAACP, the nation’s largest civil rights group, showed that more than a quarter of young Black men would support Trump in the upcoming election. For reference, President Joe Biden captured around 80% of the Black male vote in 2020.
Harris’s policy announcement comes just ahead of her scheduled interview with Charlamagne tha God, a comedian and author with a nationally syndicated radio show that’s popular among Black millennials. He’s also been a vocal critic of the Biden administration, so this interview will be closely watched.
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