The Biden-Harris administration recently launched a new initiative for Black voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election in November.
In May, Biden and Harris appeared at Girard College in Philadelphia to launch their campaign, “Black Voters for Biden-Harris.” In a press release obtained by ESSENCE, representatives from their administration highlighted the importance of understanding the needs of Black voters.
“Our campaign believes that Black voters deserve to hear from Team Biden-Harris, and they deserve to have their vote earned, not assumed,” the press release read. “That’s exactly what we are doing through historic investments in Black media and outreach, creative engagement efforts, culturally competent content and innovative organizing initiatives.”
The Black vote was crucial for President Biden’s win during the 2020 presidential election season. According to the Pew Research Center, 92% of Black voters supported Biden during his presidential candidacy.
“These voters were instrumental in electing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in 2020 … Now, these same voters will be critical to defeating Trump’s racist and toxic agenda at the ballot box – again,” campaign officials said in the press release.
A History of Courting the Black Vote
Biden and Harris’s appearance at the Philadelphia school adds to past efforts of reaching Black voters. Biden served as the commencement speaker for Morehouse College graduation amid the student protest over the Israel-Hamas war. He delivered remarks at the annual NAACP Freedom Fund dinner event. The White House also invited leaders of the Divine Nine to the Oval Office.
The efforts of Biden and Harris plan to extend to Black women and the issues impacting them. They cited inflation, the economy, pay gap disparities, maternal mortality rates and more as issues that matter most to them. With this in mind, the Biden-Harris administration pledged to address these concerns.
Throughout her term, Harris has been vocal about her blueprint to solve healthcare disparities for Black women. Specifically, she has been outspoken about the higher rates of death for childbearing mothers. In 2020, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act was introduced with 12 bills addressing policy gaps for the maternal health crisis. NBC News reported that one of the bills became law in 2021.
Additionally, Harris has pushed for improving health rates through funding, expanding maternal healthcare access and increasing health services and research. The administration continues its efforts to lower childcare, elder care and preschool costs. Their work also includes proposing a $10,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers and canceling student loans, according to ESSENCE. In an interview, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett expressed how diligent the administration has been placing Black women at the center.
“For the last four years, the Biden-Harris administration has put Black women at the forefront: attacked the life-threatening Black maternal health crisis head-on by allowing states to expand Medicaid postpartum coverage from just 60 days to 12 months, impacting approximately 65 percent of births for Black mothers, increased the women’s labor force participation to historic highs – resulting in almost 1 million more Black women employed under this administration, not to mention appointing the first Black women to the Supreme Court,” Crockett told the publication.