For the 32% of Black voters who are still looking to learn more about Vice President Kamala Harris, they learned two things about her today: she listens, and she keeps her word. Demonstrating her commitment to earning our votes, she released a comprehensive agenda outlining the ways in which she will help Black men get ahead and lead in their communities. Her plan is called the Opportunity Agenda for Black Men, and it includes bold policies that will promote health, wealth, and justice for us.
During my time working in her office, I saw the Vice President fight alongside President Biden for Black men every day. I know she is ready to lead this fight from the highest office in the land.
Having served as one of the Vice President’s speechwriters, I have heard her speak powerfully about health disparities facing our community. She knows devastating diseases like prostate cancer and diabetes disproportionately affect Black men, who also face unique barriers to care. That’s why her plan calls for capping drug costs – because she believes nobody should have to choose between their groceries or their medicines. And for those who may have received treatment in the past, over 25% of Black families still struggle with medical debt. Her plan will work to release those households from that crushing burden. But her plan is bolder than that. It imagines a world in which we lower the number of Black men who get diagnosed with these diseases in the first place. Expanding access to preventative screening programs – including those related to mental health – will literally save lives.
The Vice President has long been on the frontlines of the fight to expand access to capital for Black men. I was in the room when she convened young men of color for some “real talk” about entrepreneurship last year. The Vice President knows Black men don’t just want to make money – they want to build wealth. Generational wealth, at that. Her plan will help Black men do both. It calls for new programs to educate and train Black men to compete for jobs and apprenticeship programs. And for those who want to start a business, her plan will provide one million forgivable loans. As President, Kamala Harris will focus on crypto too, making sure investors get the protection they need to keep their assets safe.
As a former district attorney who took a progressive approach to dealing with drug crimes, Vice President Harris knows nobody should go to jail for smoking weed – although far too many Black men have. Her plan calls for the legalization of recreational marijuana and for the creation of a legal marijuana industry in which Black men can benefit. On that issue and so many others, justice will be delayed no longer with Kamala Harris as President.
While Donald Trump has failed to release any plan – not even a “concept of a plan” – focused on Black men, we have seen his Project 2025 agenda. His policies will strip many Black men of their healthcare, make everyday goods more expensive, and reduce funding for schools in Black communities.
So, brothers, as you continue to do your homework, recognize the role that each of the two candidates envisions us playing in this country. While former President Trump wants to keep us down – and strip us of the gains we have made – Vice President Harris wants to lift us up. She might not be able to deliver everything, but if I learned one thing working for her, it’s that nobody fights harder for us. How hard will we fight for her?
Gevin Reynolds is a communications strategist and former speechwriter to Vice President Kamala Harris.
