Critics blast Harris over pandering scheme that prioritizes marijuana legalization for black men



Kamala Harris unveiled a race-based "opportunity agenda" Monday, revealing both her desperation to win back increasingly disenchanted black male voters and her prejudicial presumption of what might ultimately motivate members of the cohort.

Critics have ridiculed the vice president's identitarian messaging and her cynical attempt to win over black men with the promise of legal marijuana nationwide, noting both that she previously helped prosecute multitudes of black men for marijuana offenses and that there remain far more pressing issues facing all Americans deserving of a presidential candidate's attention.

American men, generally speaking, aren't particularly fond of Kamala Harris. This is not only true of likely white and Hispanic male voters, but increasingly of black men as well.

A recent NAACP survey found that 26% of black men under 50 years old intend to vote for President Donald Trump, reflective of a broader increase in black support for Trump as compared with the 2020 election.

"If Harris doesn't get above 90% [with black men], then she's in trouble," Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton recently told The Hill. "She really needs to energize black voters and figure out a way to get them to turn out, particularly men."

Harris surrogates — including former President Barack Obama — recently rushed to brand those black men who might vote for Trump as misogynists, urging "the brothers" to fall in line.

Since the strategy of belittlement was clearly not working, Harris has instead tried pandering.

A campaign memo titled "Vice President Harris Will Deliver for Black Men" revealed this week how Harris would try to help Americans from that voting bloc now souring on the Democratic Party.

"Today Vice President Harris is laying out an Opportunity Agenda for Black Men to provide them with the tools to achieve financial freedom, lower costs to better provide for themselves and their families, and protect their rights," says the memo.

Harris promised to:

  • provide 1 million loans up to $20,000 to black entrepreneurs;
  • support education and mentorship programs to help black men "get good-paying jobs in high-demand industries and lead their communities";
  • give race-based financial support to struggling farmers;
  • support a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and other digital assets;
  • launch a "National Health Equity Initiative" focused on black men; and
  • legalize recreational marijuana nationally.

Concerning the legalization of marijuana, which is presently legal in the District of Columbia and 24 states, the memo stressed that Harris "will also fight to ensure that as the national cannabis industry takes shape, Black men — who have, for years, been overpoliced for marijuana use — are able to access wealth and jobs in this new market."

Harris' "opportunity agenda" was met with ridicule.

'I'm not really shocked you see us as this dumb.'

Critics suggested, for instance, that Harris' concern over the fallout of drug laws rings hollow, given that she cheerily enforced them while San Francisco district attorney.

Some users on X dusted off footage from the 2019 Democratic primary debate where Tulsi Gabbard noted, "[Harris] put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations and then laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana."

According to the Mercury News, Harris oversaw over 1,950 marijuana misdemeanor and felony convictions in San Francisco. Apparently she did so with unusual zeal. After all, the prosecutors working for her reportedly "convicted people on marijuana charges at a higher rate than under her predecessor."

Although now a champion of legalized marijuana, evidently figuring it for a winning proposal among black men, Harris fought a ballot measure for marijuana legalization in 2010, going so far as to co-author an opposition argument in the voter guide. In 2016, she remained relatively neutral on the matter when a subsequent ballot initiative passed.

The vice president only changed her tune in May 2018 when it became politically expedient to do so — around the time she began plotting her first presidential run.

Years later, she told the titular host of "Late Night with Seth Meyers" that "nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed."

Not all critics took issue with Harris' apparent hypocrisy and brazen opportunism. Others noted that the vice president appeared to be insinuating that black men disproportionately needed the drug.

Matt Antar, chairman of the New York Young Republican Club, noted, "Why is illegal marijuana an 'unjust barrier' for black men? Is she insinuating that all black men are potheads? This is racist."

Keith Barry, on the ads team at X, tweeted, "Of all the policy issues, this is what you choose *specifically* for black men? I'm not really shocked you see us as this dumb and that our top concern is to get high or sell drugs."

Former NFL running back Herschel Walker wrote, "Every election, men of color become a focal point for Democrats — offering money and now marijuana but no focus on education or jobs. It's all about securing your vote, not creating sustainable change. Where was VP Harris the last 3 years?"

Veterans on Duty chairman Jeremy C. Hunt told Fox News' Harris Faulkner that Harris "has this kind of caricature of black men in her head, that we're just these, you know, some California potheads that are sitting there looking for a government handout."

While Harris is talking to black men about drugs and crypto, Quenton Jordan, vice president of the Black Conservative Federation, told The Hill that Trump's alternative "message is resonating because he's talking about issues that families talk about at the dinner table and men talk about in the barber shops."

Pew Research noted in September that the economy and health care are among the top issues for black male voters in this election.

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FACT CHECK: Image Claims To Show Black Samurai

An image shared on X claims to show a black samurai and his family. Black Samurai In Japan Your comments on this … pic.twitter.com/fv5k639wC9 — African Hub (@AfricanHub_) March 28, 2024 Verdict: False The image was created by artificial intelligence. At least one black person was arguably a samurai during the 1500s. Fact Check: Social media users […]

NAACP asks black athletes to abandon dreams of attending and playing for Florida colleges



The NAACP wants black student athletes to give up their dreams of attending Florida colleges and universities because the Sunshine State dared to take a stand against racist propaganda and discriminatory practices.

While Derrick Johnson, president of the identitarian outfit, and NAACP Chairman Leon Russell claim this "is not about politics," their aim is clear: to financially punish organizations that fail to conform with their race-centered political project.

Florida colleges and universities have been dismantling their respective DEI regimes in part to align with a law ratified by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in May 2023, which cut off state funding to such discriminatory programs.

Ten days after the University of Florida announced it was shuttering its office of chief diversity officer and eliminating DEI positions on campus in line with the 2023 law, Johnson and Russell penned a letter to current and prospective members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, urging them to "reconsider any potential decision to attend, and compete at a predominantly white institution in the state of Florida."

The NAACP clarified in a corresponding statement that this letter "comes following recent news that the University of Florida had dismantled its DEI department at the direction of the DeSantis administration's Stop WOKE Act."

The NAACP leaders suggested in their Monday letter that DeSantis' execution of the will of Florida voters — not only in combating critical race theory and discriminatory practices on campus but also taking a stand against abortion, which disproportionately victimizes black babies — amounted to a "devaluation of Black America."

"Now, as a result of his administration's anti-Black ideals, all state-funded universities in Florida will be forced to dismantle their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs," said the letter.

Johnson and Russell made clear they want to hurt Florida colleges and universities financially.

The identitarians suggested that college sports, football especially, is a profitable enterprise "with most revenue earned off the backs of Black student-athletes. At UF and similar institutions, if football stadiums emptied, if merchandise stopped selling, if TV deals fell through, the monetary loss would extend beyond athletics to other university programs."

Johnson and Russell added, "If any institution is to reap the benefits of Black talent, it is only right that they completely invest in Black futures."

Despite attempting to undo a law passed by democratically elected lawmakers and ratified by a democratically elected governor, Johnson suggested in a corresponding statement that the NAACP was attempting to protect democracy.

"The NAACP will remain unwavering in our efforts to hold Governor Ron DeSantis, and all oppressive elected officials accountable for their attempts to unravel our democracy," said Johnson.

Bryan Griffin, communications director for DeSantis, called the identitarians' plea "yet another Florida-aimed political stunt from the NAACP with no basis. FL's education system is ranked #1 in the nation on many metrics (#1 in ed freedom, #1 in higher ed 7 yrs in a row), and this world-class education is open to any American, regardless of race."

Griffin further highlighted the specifics of the law the NAACP is upset about, asking, "How could any reasonable person disagree with any of these prohibitions?"

The "Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act" deems discriminatory any training or instruction that "espouses, promotes, advances, inculcates, or compels such student or employee to believe any of the following concepts":

  • "Members of one race, color, national origin, or sex are morally superior to members of another race, color, national origin, or sex";
  • "A person, by virtue of his or her race, color, national origin, or sex is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously";
  • "A person's moral character or status as either privileged or oppressed is necessarily determined by his or her race, color, national origin, or sex";
  • "A person, by virtue of his or her race, color, national origin, or sex bears responsibility for, or should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment because of, actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, color, national origin, or sex";
  • "A person, by virtue of his or her race, color, national origin, or sex should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment to achieve diversity, equity, or inclusion";
  • "A person, by virtue of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin, bears personal responsibility for and must feel guilty, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress because of actions, in which the person played no part, committed in the past by other members of the same race, color, national origin, or sex"; and
  • "Such virtues as merit, excellence, hard work, fairness, neutrality, objectivity, and racial colorblindness are racist or sexist, or were created by members of a particular race, color, national origin, or sex to oppress members of another race, color, national origin, or sex."

DeSantis tweeted on March 1, "DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities. I'm glad that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and I hope more states follow suit."

NBC News reported earlier this month that Republicans in more than 30 states have introduced or passed more than 100 bills in the current legislative session aimed at curbing or regulating discriminatory DEI initiatives.

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Microsoft under fire over revelation its white employees earn less than their black, Asian, and Hispanic counterparts



Critics of DEI have highlighted an apparent celebration of race- and sex-based discrimination in Microsoft's annual "Diversity and Inclusion Report."

Microsoft proudly noted in the document that its black, Asian, and Hispanic employees earn more than their white counterparts. Additionally, it revealed that female employees earn more than male coworkers operating at the same level and in the same roles.

The possibility that the tech giant is openly engaging in pay discrimination against employees on the basis of their immutable characteristics has prompted condemnation along with calls for legal action.

Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, Microsoft's chief diversity officer, released the company's DEI report on Nov. 1, 2023, stating, "This year's report shows that we continue to be a more diverse Microsoft today than we have ever been. Looking at this year's data as well as our cumulative efforts, it's clear that we are driving positive change."

In the "pay equity" section of the DEI document, Microsoft noted it is "committed to the principle of pay equity. Pay equity accounts for factors that legitimately influence total pay, including things like job title, level, and tenure. Our pay equity analysis adjusts for these factors in support of our commitment to pay employees equitably for substantially similar work."

According to the document, as of September 2023, all American "racial and ethnic minority groups who are rewards eligible combined earned $1.007 total pay for every $1.000 earned by US rewards-eligible white employees with the same job title and level and considering tenure."

Employees are "rewards-eligible" if they have worked for more than 90 days in the fiscal year. Such employees account for roughly 94% of Microsoft's workforce.

The document specifically states that black, Hispanic, and so-called "Latinx" employees working in the U.S. earn $1.004 for every dollar alternatively earned by a "rewards-eligible" white employee.

Asian employees, meanwhile, "earn $1.012 for every $1.000 earned by US rewards-eligible white employees with the same job title and level and considering enure."

This apparent trend of systemic discrimination is not limited to race.

The document indicates that "as of September 2023, inside the US, women who are rewards eligible earn $1.007 total pay for every $1.000 earned by rewards-eligible employees who are men" operating at the same level with the same job title.

Microsoft appears to have been championing these pay deltas for several years. In its 2019 DEI report DEI report, the company noted, "As of September 2019, all racial and ethnic minority employees in the US combined earn $1.006 for every $1.000 earned by their white counterparts."

Blaze News reached out to Microsoft for comment but did not receive a response by deadline.

Libs of TikTok, who drew massive attention to the DEI document Thursday, wrote in response to the report, "HOLY SHLIT. In Microsoft's official 2023 Diversity & Inclusion report, they openly admit that they are paying white people LESS than other ethnic groups in the name of 'pay equity.'"

— (@)

South African billionaire Elon Musk posed the question of whether the practice was legal, to which Libs of TikTok definitively responded: "No."

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission makes expressly clear on its website that "race discrimination involves treating someone (an applicant or employee) unfavorably because he/she is of a certain race or because of personal characteristics associated with race (such as hair texture, skin color, or certain facial features).

The EEOC notes that federal law prohibits discrimination "when it comes to any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, fringe benefits, and any other term or condition of employment."

America First Legal, former Trump adviser Stephen Miller's nonprofit, said, "This is evidence of blatantly illegal discrimination, if true. If you are a Microsoft employee who is getting paid less because you are white or male, please contact us today."

Michael Seifert, the founder and CEO of the unwoke Amazon alternative Public Square, wrote, "The only 'systemic racism' happening today is against white people."

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