Harris has remained silent on reparations she previously advocated for during her 2020 presidential campaign.
Planet Chronicle Digital did not receive clarification from the Harris campaign on whether she supports reparations.
Despite growing anticipation from progressive advocates, Vice President Harris' campaign did not reveal her position on reparations for Black Americans when asked Wednesday by Planet Chronicle Digital.
In her 2019 presidential campaign, Harris, as a U.S. senator representing California, advocated for "some form of reparations" and supported legislation to investigate the issue further.
In recent years, blue state Democrat politicians, including those from California, have proposed reparations as a means of making amends for the legacy of discriminatory policies that have resulted in disparities for Black people in areas such as housing, education, and health.
"In a 2019 interview with The Root, Harris stated that there should be reparations for the more than 200 years of slavery and almost 100 years of Jim Crow, as well as the legalized segregation and segregation on many levels that exist today based on race. Despite the harm and damage caused, there has been no intervention to correct the course, and the effects of these years are still being played out today."
Although Harris has altered her stance on certain policies, such as banning fracking and illegal immigration, she has not publicly stated whether she would support a nationwide reparations movement if elected president.
During an MSNBC interview with Al Sharpton, Harris was asked if she would sign a bill for reparations for descendants of enslaved Africans if it was presented to her as president.
If I am elected president, I will sign that bill, Harris stated.
Reparations legislation for the descendants of enslaved Black Americans has been pushed for by Democrats on the Hill and in California. However, a pair of reparations-related bills failed to pass in the California legislature last week, with backers stating that the bills would not move forward and were at risk of being vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Vice President Harris' presidential campaign faced a threat from Black activists at the California Assembly after state Democrat lawmakers failed to pass a bill.
"A Black woman from the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California stated in a video shared on X that the governor must comprehend the global attention on California and its influence on Kamala Harris' presidential campaign. As such, the coalition urged the governor to expedite the passage and signing of bills. The coalition has been advocating for justice and equality for over 400 years."
"We have the votes," they added.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., stated in an interview with the Washington Post that more people would be politically engaged if reparations were more prominently discussed in political discourse.
He stated that although it is not the case, some individuals are staying home or switching to the Republican Party because they feel that Democrats are disregarding the needs of Black voters.
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., attempted to introduce a $14 trillion reparations bill to Congress in an effort to address the racial wage gap between Black and White Americans.
Planet Chronicle Digital's Bradford Betz and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
politics
You might also like
- Speaker Johnson faces opposition from Republicans in political statement.
- UN agency funding restoration bill backed by Dem lawmakers: 'Absolutely necessary'
- GOP candidate gains ground on Sen. Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, according to consecutive polls.
- A Republican official from a swing state denounced any involvement in a pornography scandal and dismissed it as "sensationalized gossip."
- The former head of Border Patrol criticizes the Biden administration for allegedly concealing information about migrants with suspected links to terrorism.