Harris targets Black men with new economic proposals

By Jarrett Renshaw and Nandita Bose

(Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris unveiled new policy proposals aimed at Black men on Monday that include forgivable small business loans and access to a new legal recreational marijuana industry.

The Harris campaign and Democrats - including former President Barack Obama - have expressed deep concern about whether Black males will turn out on Nov. 5 in numbers seen in past elections and whether they will support Harris or her Republican rival Donald Trump.

The new slate of policy proposals is part of an effort pushed by Harris to make a direct pitch at Black men and make them a more central part of her campaign during the final stretch. Reuters was first to report the plan.

The new policies include 1 million loans that are fully forgivable of up to $20,000 to entrepreneurs in underserved communities, and a promise to legalize recreational marijuana and help ensure Black entrepreneurs have access to the new industry.

Other proposals include boosting access to the cryptocurrency industry for Black Americans and launching a national health equity initiative focused on Black men that addresses diseases like sickle cell, which disproportionately impacts the community.

While the plans cater to the Black community, Harris is seeking to emphasize how her economic proposals benefit all men.

If elected, Harris would be the second Black president and first Black woman in the office. Some Democrats view the vice president's relatively soft support from Black men as a significant concern in the election, while others argue the bloc is being scapegoated for broader weaknesses in her campaign.

Over a quarter of young Black men say they would support Trump in the election race, a September poll by the NAACP, the nation's largest civil rights organization, showed. President Joe Biden got about 80% of the Black male vote in 2020.

The policy roll out comes a day before Harris is expected to be interviewed by Charlamagne tha God, a comedian and author whose nationally syndicated radio show is popular with Black millennials. He is also an influential critic of the Biden administration.

Harris is also likely to touch on the new policy proposals when she travels to Erie County, Pennsylvania, on Monday.

(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Nandita Bose; Editing by Stephen Coates)