Monday (May 6), VP Kamala Harris visited Detroit, Michigan for the second stop of her Economic Opportunity Tour. Prior to her visit, VP Harris was on the DeDe In The Morning Show, where she discussed the purpose of the Economic Opportunity Tour, abortion bans, voting and voting rights, decriminalizing marijuana and more. It’s a great interview. I encourage everyone to listen.
VP Harris’ first stop in Detroit was Joe Lewis Southern Kitchen:
VP Harris held her speech to an enthusiastic audience, in the beautiful setting of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
Excerpts from VP Harris’ speech:
So, Michigan, you know, I believe that America’s economy is powered by the ambition and the aspiration of her people — the ambition and aspiration to innovate, to create, and to prosper.
Therefore, to grow our economy, we must invest in that ambition and those aspirations. I believe every person in our country, then, must have access to the opportunity to compete, to succeed, and to thrive; the ability to achieve what I call financial freedom, which means having enough not just to get by but to get ahead — (applause) — to be able to build a business, to own a home, to start a family, and to create intergenerational wealth.
Our work is also guided by the understanding that there are certain communities that have faced, historically and currently, profound obstacle to acquire that opportunity.
For example, I am proud to announce we are investing $100 million in small- and medium-sized auto supply companies, many of which — (applause) — many of which are Black-owned and based right here in Michigan.
We are also expanding access to government contracts. At the beginning of our administration, President Joe Biden and I pledged to increase federal contracts for minority-owned small businesses by 50 percent, knowing that, traditionally and historically, folks didn’t have access to the relationships to get those contracts. And we are on track to meet our goal by the end of next year.
Now, I also want to point out — because there is a contrast between us and the last administration. The last administration invested access to tax cuts for billionaires. We are investing in access to capital for entrepreneurs. (Applause.)
President Biden and I outlined a blueprint to provide folks who are first in their family to buy a home with $25,000 toward a down payment — (applause); to give families up to $400 a month to help with a mortgage; and to build 2 million units of affordable housing to lower costs for homebuyers and renters. (Applause.)
We are also calling out and addressing the issue of racial bias in home appraisals. (Applause.)
President Biden and I have made debt forgiveness a central pillar of our economic agenda. And we have already forgiven about $500 million of medical debt for hundreds of thousands of Americans across the nation. (Applause.)
And in Wayne County, Michigan, we will forgive an additional $700 million of medical debt for as many as 300,000 people. (Applause.)
And there’s more. We are also implementing a rule that medical debt cannot be used in calculating your credit score. (Applause.)
Together, let us continue to invest in the ambitions and aspirations of our people — of the American people. Together, let us continue to help folks create wealth and achieve financial freedom. And together, let us continue to build a nation where every person has the opportunity to compete, prosper, and thrive.
This is a great re-cap by Nehemiah D. Frank, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Black Wall Street Times:
Here’s VP Harris’ full speech:
VP Harris’ remarks start at 26:45 minutes.
Roland S. Martin accompanied VP Harris to Detroit and he had a word as to people saying that the Biden-Harris administration is not doing anything for the Black community, in the comments to his live feed:
Tuesday (May 7) Vice President Harris announced $5.5 Billion to boost affordable housing, invest in economic growth, build wealth, and address homelessness in communities across America.
Wednesday (May 8) VP Kamala Harris joined Sheryl Lee Ralph to talk about Reproductive Freedom. This was a great conversation! I encourage everyone to watch it.
Sheryl Lee Ralph’s own story from her first birth, gave us a stark warning about the consequences of Trump abortion bans:
Wednesday evening, VP Kamala Harris delivered remarks at the Emily’s List, We Are EMILY National Gala, with a perfect message to end this week’s diary.
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Vote and GOTV. “When we fight, we win!” — VP Kamala Harris