By Joshua Taylor
As the Chair of Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional District and an active Democrat in Milwaukee, I have been so excited to watch Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz’s campaign spread joy nationwide.
To no surprise, Donald Trump’s campaign has done the opposite: I’ve always known Trump’s cruel policies were meant to stoke fear and divide us, but the recent debate showed just how far he’s willing to go. Hearing Donald Trump repeat racist conspiracy theories about Haitian immigrants at the presidential debate disgusted me. Over the last few weeks, Donald Trump, JD Vance, and their MAGA allies have continued to spew false rhetoric that has repeatedly been debunked. I turn on the news daily and continue to see new clips of the Republican ticket doubling down on their racist claims about Haitian immigrants.
This rhetoric is, as Vice President Harris says, “a crying shame.” In Springfield, children had to be evacuated from their schools and an entire community is now living in fear.
All the way in Milwaukee we’re feeling the effects of this hateful rhetoric. Donald Trump and JD Vance’s attacks are not just on the Haitian community, they affect Black people across the country.
But ultimately, this is a reminder of who Donald Trump really is. This is the guy who led the charge to have the Central Park five, who were proven innocent, executed. He questioned President Barack Obama’s birth origins, stood with the Proud Boys, and degraded our community with talk of “Black jobs.”
Donald Trump doesn’t care about Black America or our interests, he only wants what is best for him. Donald Trump failed our community every year that he was president. Under his presidency, Black unemployment was up to 9%, Black businesses suffered under his mismanagement of the pandemic, he attempted to terminate Obamacare, and proposed budgets that would take away funding for Medicare, Medicaid, housing, and food assistance programs.
Not only is Kamala Harris one of us, she has fought for us throughout her entire career. Under her leadership, the racial wealth gap is the smallest in 20 years, millions of dollars in student debt loans have been wiped out, HBCUs have historic federal support, and Black unemployment is at some of the lowest levels in American history. Kamala Harris is working to address issues that matter to us.
Black voters were essential to turning out the victory for Democrats up and down the ballot in 2020. Our votes are going to make the difference in 2024. This November, we need to show up, fight for our community, and elect Kamala Harris for all Americans.