Vice President Kamala Harris is pledging Monday to legalize recreational marijuana, protect cryptocurrency assets and give 1 million loans to Black entrepreneurs, as part of her efforts to court Black voters who may be pivotal in the presidential race.
Polls show that some Black men may be gravitating toward former President Trump, Harris’ Republican rival, or not vote at all. Harris and other prominent Democrats are trying to counter that.
Among the initiatives being announced by Harris Monday:
- Legalizing recreational marijuana and providing opportunities for Black Americans to succeed in the industry
- 1 million fully forgivable loans of up to $20,000 for Black entrepreneurs and others to start businesses
- a plan come up with rules for cryptocurrency and other digital assets; more than 20% of Black Americans own or have owned cryptocurrency assets, according to the campaign
- invest more in Black male teachers, promote registered apprenticeships and credentialing opportunities in Black communities and investing in leadership training and mentorship programs like My Brother’s Keeper
- a National Health Equity Initiative focused on Black Men that addresses sickle cell disease, diabetes, mental health, prostate cancer, and other health challenges that disproportionately affect them
Harris will talk about the plan on Monday in Erie, Pa.
Former Rep. Cedric Richmond, a co-chair of the Harris' campaign, said her new announcement is part of her "Opportunity Economy" pledge — “an economy where people don't just get by, but get ahead. Where Black men are equipped with the tools to thrive: to buy a home, provide for our families, start a business and build wealth,” he said in a statement.
On Monday, Harris will meet with a group of Black men in Erie, Pa., before holding a rally in the city. And on Tuesday, she plans to meet with Black entrepreneurs in Detroit after a town hall conversation moderated by Charlamagne tha God, the influential Black radio host who has pulled very few punches with Democratic politicians.
She spent the weekend campaigning in North Carolina, attending a Black church in Greenville, N.C., before holding a rally in the community in a part of the state where Democrats are hoping to boost turnout among Black voters.
Obama weighed in last week
Softening of support among Black men could hurt Harris in what is shaping up to be a tight election. Most polls show her and Trump in a dead heat. Last week, former President Barack Obama, the first Black president, said he wanted to "speak some truths" about why turnout and enthusiasm for Harris was far behind what he experienced in 2008.
“Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren't feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you're coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that,” Obama said.
In response, the Black Men for Trump Advisory Board issued a statement, calling Obama’s remarks “deeply insulting.”
“Black Americans are not a monolith, and we don’t owe our votes to any candidate just because they ‘look like us,’” they said in a statement. “It’s demeaning to suggest that we can’t evaluate a candidate’s track record — especially when Kamala Harris has done more harm than good to Black communities.”
As part of its outreach, the Harris campaign will specifically target Black men in the closing days of the election, her campaign said, with events including partnerships with influential Black males, and talks with Black business owners.
NPR's Elena Moore contributed to this report.
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