On October 14, US Vice President Kamala Harris announced a plan to provide more economic opportunities for black men to develop, in an effort to gain more support from an important voting bloc in the upcoming election.
Harris' plan includes providing forgivable business loans to entrepreneurs of color, creating more apprenticeship programs, and doing more research into diseases that disproportionately affect African-American men.
Specifically, if she becomes President, Ms. Harris will distribute 1 million loans worth up to $20,000 to forgive debt for black entrepreneurs as well as others with viable business ideas.
These loans will be provided through the Small Business Administration, local governments and banks, with a commitment to serving their communities.
Additionally, Vice President Harris aims to provide federal incentives to encourage more African-American men to train to become teachers.
According to statistics, men of color made up only about 1% of public school teachers in the 2020-21 school year in the US. Ms. Harris plans to expand existing federal programs that forgivestudent loan debt, thereby encouraging more men of color to enter the teaching profession.
She also wants to create more apprenticeship programs and certification opportunities in this community.
To appeal to more male voters, the vice president’s advisers say she needs to show stronger support for a regulatory framework to protect investors in cryptocurrencies and digital assets, which have become popular among communities of color.
On health , Harris also pledged to create a national initiative to better fund efforts to detect, research and combat health issues that disproportionately affect men of color, such as sickle cell disease, diabetes, prostate cancer and mental health challenges.
Ms Harris announced her plans ahead of a campaign stop in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she will appear alongside Democratic Senator John Fetterman.
Harris' campaign will plan events in key political states featuring prominent African-American men.
The group said it also plans to run ads in those states, featuring the voices of local men of color.
Cedric Richmond, campaign co-chair and a former black congressman, said Harris wants to build an economy where black men have the opportunity to thrive, be able to buy homes, provide for their families, start businesses and build wealth.
The plan comes at a time of concern that many black men may not turn out in the upcoming election, especially after former President Barack Obama said not many black men were interested in having a female president.
However, a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 70% of black voters have a positive view of Harris, showing strong support for her leadership over her opponent Donald Trump on key policy issues such as the economy, health care, immigration. Harris’s support is about equal among both genders.
For his part, Republican candidate Donald Trump has also stepped up efforts to win the support of black and Hispanic voters of both genders. Specifically, he has held roundtable meetings with black businessmen in key states./.
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