Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday unveiled her Oppurtunity Agenda for Black men on Monday. Learn more about her agenda below:
Vice President Harris will build an Opportunity Economy where everyone has the opportunity to not just get by, but to get ahead. She knows that Black men have long felt that too often their voice in our political process has gone unheard and that there is so much untapped ambition and leadership within the Black male community. Black men and boys deserve a president who will provide the opportunity to unleash this talent and potential by removing historic barriers to wealth creation, education, employment, earnings, health, and improving the criminal justice system. Black men deserve a president who will deliver on promises and equip them with the tools and resources to make their aspirations a reality.
This year, Vice President Harris launched a first-of-its-kind, nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour to help entrepreneurs access the capital and resources they need to launch and grow their businesses, build wealth, and strengthen their communities—especially Black male entrepreneurs. While traveling across the country to cities like Atlanta, Detroit, and Charlotte, she heard powerful stories from Black men about the biggest hurdles that still make it too difficult for them to get their businesses off the ground and grow them to meet their full ambitions and discussed policies that can help break down remaining barriers to success.
Drawing on insights from her experience throughout her career and her Economic Opportunity Tour, today Vice President Harris is laying out an Opportunity Agenda for Black Men to provide them with the tools to achieve financial freedom, lower costs to better provide for themselves and their families, and protect their rights. This pathbreaking agenda includes:
- Providing 1 million loans that are fully forgivable to Black entrepreneurs and others to start a business.
- Championing education, training, and mentorship programs that help Black men get good-paying jobs in high-demand industries and lead their communities, including pathways to become teachers.
- Supporting a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and other digital assets so Black men who invest in and own these assets are protected.
- Launching 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 impact them.
- Legalizing recreational marijuana and creating opportunities for Black Americans to succeed in this new industry.