Images From Her Story

Scenes from Kamala Harris’ journey to greatness.

Americans will enter their polling places this month to decide the fate of a nation. And in the waning days of the campaign, which is being fought closely on razor-thin margins, there has been intense focus on locking down the votes to be cast by African-Americans — men in particular. 

The state of the race has presented an opportunity for a historic leader, who is on the cusp of becoming the first Black woman elected President of the United States. Most serious observers of history agree that Kamala Harris is what stands between an inclusive, positive vision for America and a return to power for a political movement led by some of the most malignantly anti-Black forces in our country. 

The vice president’s campaign has put forth an agenda that it says will “give Black men the tools to build wealth and achieve financial freedom, lower costs for themselves and their families, and protect their rights — addressing the issues that Black men across the country have told her are their top concerns.” Among the proposals: 

• Provide 1 million forgivable loans up to $20,000 to Black entrepreneurs and others who have a good idea but don’t have the resources, connections, or access to capital to get their business off the ground 
• Launch a National Health Equity Initiative focused on Black men 
• Legalize marijuana at the federal level to break down unjust legal barriers that hold Black men and other Americans back 
• Lower costs by enacting the first-ever federal ban on corporate price-gouging for food and groceries 
• Lower rent and provide down payment assistance to triple the number of new first-time Black homeowners 

It added: “Vice President Harris knows that Black men have long felt that too often their voice in our political process has gone unheard and that there is so much untapped ambition and leadership within the Black male community. 

“Black men and boys deserve a president who will provide the opportunity to unleash this talent and potential by removing historic barriers to wealth creation, education, employment, earnings, health, and improving the criminal justice system. Black men deserve a president who will deliver on promises and equip them with the tools and resources to make their aspirations a reality.” 

The campaign also pointed to the former president’s record, saying, “Donald Trump spent four years making Black men’s lives harder. On his watch, millions of Black men lost their jobs, thousands closed their businesses, and hundreds of thousands lost their health insurance. As thousands of Black men lost their lives to COVID-19, Donald Trump denied the severity of the crisis and made millions more unsafe. Crime in Black neighborhoods soared while Donald Trump cut funding for public safety and made Black communities less secure. 

“He has repeatedly shown open contempt for Black Americans and Black men, attacking their rights, fueling division, and standing in the way of their progress. He falsely accused the Exonerated Five and called for them to receive the death penalty. His history as a landlord is checkered with repeated allegations of racial discrimination and outright refusal to rent to Black tenants. Following the murder of George Floyd, Trump described Black protestors as “THUGS,” threatening that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” As president he referred to Haiti and African nations as “s***hole countries.” And, most recently, Trump spread falsehoods about Black Haitians “eating the pets” of their neighbors and in the past described Haiti and other majority Black nations as “s***holes. 

“If he’s re-elected, his hostility toward Black men and their communities will continue. His Project 2025 Agenda doubles down on his mistreatment of Black men and their families, promising to cut funding for urban education, bring back stop-and-frisk practices, and slash critical investments in safety net programs like Obamacare, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Meanwhile, he will slap a Trump Tax on everything from food to gasoline, raising costs on the average Black family by nearly $4,000 or more. He will erase four years of financial gains and job growth for Black men and leave their communities worse off for it.” 

As we offer this pictorial essay to commemorate a historic campaign, Las Vegas Black Image asks you to consider what brand of leadership is best equipped — and well-intended — to lift up the Black community at a critical moment in American history.