A viral reparations clip led to an online debate about whether Kamala Harris would do anything for Black Americans. We decided to compile a brief list of her records.
Kamala Harris once said that anything you do to benefit Black America, benefits all of America.
The year was 2019, and it was Harris’ first attempt at running for president in the Democratic primary before she ultimately was elected vice president.
Her statement was in response to a question from theGrio about whether she supported reparations. It was a question being asked of most Democratic primary candidates at the time. Harris’ response sparked debate among some voters about whether she believed in policies that explicitly supported the well-being of Black Americans.
In the interview, Harris’ answer to the reparations question wasn’t a simple “yes” or “no.” Instead, she discussed a broader approach to helping Black Americans with policies like the LIFT Act that benefit all Americans but have a particularly strong impact on Black families.
In a separate interview, Harris expressed support for studying reparations, which caused backlash from the Donald Trump campaign’s War Room account and some Republicans online.
When asked by theGrio in 2020 about anyone who misunderstood her commitment to the Black community, Harris said:
“I will tell you where I am and where I’ve always been; there are very specific issues that impact Black people in America, which we know have historical context, and the history goes back 400 years. And I’ve always worked on addressing that, and I’ll continue to work on addressing it.”
She continued, “It’s why I’m proposing the Justice In Policing Act, knowing that Black men, in particular, are multiple times more likely to be killed at the hands of a police officer.”
TheGrio has reviewed Harris’ record of addressing issues that impact Black Americans during her time in public office and compiled the most notable initiatives led or co-sponsored by Harris:
Watch the full video explainer from theGrio’s Natasha S. Alford above.
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