Democrats have failed the black population. Democratic politicians grasp at straws to get the black community to vote for them but do nothing in return for these voters once they take office. It’s time for change.
I, Michael “Harry O” Harris, am not just the co-founder of Death Row Records. I was also in prison for 33 years. During that time, I changed and took responsibility for my actions. I watched as the world changed — what did not change was my community being disregarded by the political elites. But I knew that when I got out, I would commit to helping the black community assert itself.
When I got out of prison, it became my mission to ensure that our political leaders deliver for the community: better schools and more jobs, not hope, but a commitment. The sort of commitment that makes America great for all. To achieve this, I worked with experts to create the O Policy Plan, which includes our Access Agenda and our Redemption Agenda. Our Community First Action launched the O-Plan Challenge and urged the presidential candidates to commit to advancing policies that put an end to empty promises.
I spent long hours working with my co-author Shay Hawkins, who served as a tax and international trade counsel in the Senate. It resulted in an Access Agenda built on existing economic development, job training, and, most importantly, a choice in education policy that candidates could reasonably commit to expanding. We also created a Redemption Agenda to reintegrate formerly incarcerated citizens back into the workforce, family, and community.
Politics is a game of carrots and sticks. For a community to have its interests considered, that community must be willing to support candidates who advance its interests and withhold votes or actively vote against candidates who ignore its interests. Voting for candidates or supporting political parties that ignore your community hurts you in two ways: The candidate getting your support takes you for granted, and the opposing party makes no serious effort to understand or serve your interests.
For over 60 years, the black community has overwhelmingly supported the Democratic Party despite losing ground in terms of wealth creation, poverty alleviation, public safety, and education. We have been the most loyal and least respected constituency in America. The voting data speak to the former, and political reality speaks to the latter.
Black men, however, have begun asserting themselves. As polls began showing that the Harris campaign had problems with black men, she responded in two ways. First, the campaign built on President Joe Biden’s strategy of dispatching black surrogates to swing states to shame black men into voting for the Democratic nominee.
Former President Barack Obama was enlisted to make a racial appeal to black men to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris because she is part black. Obama noted that the lack of enthusiasm about Harris “seems to be more pronounced with the brothers.”
Secondly, well after early voting had begun in most swing states and three weeks from Election Day, the Harris campaign released her plan to “deliver for black men.” The plan itself is half disingenuous criticism of former President Donald Trump that assumes no black Americans experienced the first Trump administration, while the other half features proposals so broad they could theoretically apply to the problems of any community.
Will this be enough to convince black voters on Tuesday? Speaking as black men, we say not likely.
From this, Our Community First Action decided to take a new approach to engaging the black community and the 2024 presidential candidates. The approach was simple. Make a reasonable demand. Challenge the candidates, regardless of party, to meet the demand. Support those candidates who commit in a concrete manner to meet the demand. In short, we support those who support us. This would not sound strange coming from Jewish, Arab, Latino, or Asian American voters. It sounds like ungrateful treachery if you are a Democratic politician such as Biden, Harris, or Obama.
Our Community First Action leveraged Harry O’s relationships in the entertainment industry to promote the O-Plan, and once knowledge of the plan hit critical mass, we challenged the presidential candidates to weigh in and commit to working with us to implement the plan on behalf of our community. On Oct. 3, after three major concerts, dozens of interviews, and a score of community meetings, Harry O issued the challenge.
Within eight days, Trump responded to the challenge via Truth Social, highlighting the areas of the plan that were a part of his past and future economic agenda. We never heard anything from the Harris campaign, but her Opportunity Agenda for Black Men came a week or so later. In any case, her document was more of an acknowledgment than the people running the country had allowed the vice president to give before now.
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The black community supports those who now and in the past have supported us. This is exactly why Our Community First Action and Harry O announced our endorsement of Trump last month. Not only did Trump respond to the O-Plan for the future, but in his past term, he also implemented “opportunity zones,” the First Step Act, permanent funding for historically black colleges and universities, and a tax reform bill that led to the lowest black unemployment rate in history. He has a track record with the community we can build on and trust.
God willing, this election will serve as a wake-up call to address the legitimate concerns of the black community through an education agenda that breaks vicious cycles and promotes economic progress, less inflation, and less crime for our community. God willing, this will serve as a signal to both parties that black votes are available to candidates who treat our community with respect.
Michael “Harry O” Harris is a co-founder of Death Row Records, a community activist, and the founder of Our Community First Action. Shay Hawkins is the president of the Opportunity Funds Association and served as a tax and international trade counsel in the Senate.