Harris Campaign Unveils Policy Agenda Targeted at Black Men

The proposals include a new loan program and affordable banking options for entrepreneurs, apprenticeship and mentorship programs and expanded health screenings, too.

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Vice President Kamala Harris will bring her new policy proposals to the campaign trail this week.

Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign, facing slipping support from Black voters, unveiled a sweeping plan on Monday to bolster the finances and careers of Black men, as her campaign ramps up efforts to deliver policies targeting the crucial voting bloc.

The plan, called the “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men,” expands upon Ms. Harris’s “opportunity economy” pitch, building upon efforts to address the unique barriers that the demographic faces in starting businesses and building wealth.

Ms. Harris’s plan calls for providing one million loans that would forgive up to $20,000 for Black entrepreneurs and others to start a business, in an effort to close the capital gap that the population often faces.

The plan calls for expanding access to affordable banking options that will allow Black men and others to tap into more capital that they often cannot access because of high fees and other barriers. The plan also promises to devise a regulatory framework for protecting cryptocurrency assets, which more than 20 percent of Black Americans own or have owned.

Ms. Harris’s proposals also seek to create more mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities, and call for new investments to help more Black men become teachers. And the plan would begin a health initiative focused on the diseases that disproportionately affect the population — such as sickle cell, diabetes and prostate cancer — by expanding preventive screening programs.

Under the plan, Ms. Harris also pledges to legalize marijuana nationally and to ensure that Black men, who were once disproportionately jailed for using and distributing marijuana, can benefit from its business potential.

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