This past week, Vice President Harris revealed her specific policy package projected to serve Black men. The nine-page document lays out economic, educational, health, and criminal justice priorities such as providing forgivable loans to Black entrepreneurs, protecting cryptocurrency assets, legalizing marijuana, and launching a national health equity initiative focused on health challenges disproportionately affecting Black men. According to Harris, this comes in response to her national “Economic Opportunity Tour” where she heard “powerful stories from Black men about the biggest hurdles that still make it too difficult for them to… meet their full ambitions.” Democrats have praised the proposal while Republicans have flagged it as a sign of Harris’ lack of support within the demographic. Others have wondered if the rollout is too little too late.
“Black men and boys deserve a president who will provide the opportunity to unleash this talent and potential by removing historic barriers,” the policy document begins. Unbothered talked to at least a dozen Black men in philanthropy, education, and social Justice advocacy who echoed similar thoughts about Harris’ plan being unprecedented and a welcomed approach. “One of my roles is to train the next generation of culturally representative physician scientists,” said Dr. Christopher Bolden, a professor at Xavier University. “Relieving the burden of debt affecting our young Black men directly affects the pipeline to meeting the demands of our nation.” Another HBCU Professor, Dr. Christopher Williams, agreed: “The plan is pragmatic and actionable. Increasing generational wealth through home ownership and entrepreneurship resonates with me.”
Several men we spoke with were very vocal about the contrast between Harris’ vision and her opponent’s. “Donald Trump spent four years making Black men’s lives harder,” Harris said in the intro of the policy announcement. “If he’s re-elected, his hostility toward Black men and their communities will continue.” Maurice Mitchell, National Director of the Working Families’ Party, shared his own reaction on X (formerly Twitter): “Harris is the first to put out a policy proposal focused on Black men… Trump and his Project 2025 plan call for nationwide stop-and-frisk, granting police immunity from prosecution, and abolishing Head Start. The choice is clear.”
I need everyone to understand: Black men are not the problem.
Maurice Mitchell on ‘x’
Mitchell brought up another important point when discussing the on and offline conversations around Black men being a thorn in the side of the Democratic Party. “I need everyone to understand: Black men are not the problem,” he tweeted. “In every era of history, we’ve stood side by side with Black women—putting out the flames of a burning house.” Mitchell is absolutely right. Particularly when it comes to electoral participation, Black men are the most consistent voting bloc for the Democratic Party only second to Black women. In 2016, 81% of Black men voted for Hillary Clinton despite controversy around her history with mass incarceration and “superpredator” language haunting her campaign. The following election cycle, Black men turned out for the Democratic ticket in an even bigger way with 87% …read more
Source:: Refinery29
