Kamala Harris fights for Latinos in America and knows the value of a hefty monetary fine to curve unlawful behavior by some corporations. Kamala sued and won a $1.1 billion settlement against predatory lending practices that disproportionally targeted Latinos. Harris published reports in English and Spanish regarding the monetary impact of not attending school regularly in communities of color. Later the law was criticized, making Kamala rethink her stance.
Harris also fought unlawful lending practices by mortgage lenders in California and won an $18 billion settlement. Most of these issues affect Latinos and minorities to a much higher degree than their white counterparts.
Furthermore, and cementing her allyship to Latinos, Harris said a Democratic administration would provide $100 billion in low-interest loans and investments for minority-owned businesses, a $15,000 tax credit for first-time home-buyers, and allow government-run health insurance to compete with private insurers.
In more ways than one, Kamala Harris is the antithesis of Donald J. Trump when it comes to addressing the Latino community’s cries for change.
Just one week after Joe Biden selected Kamala Harris as his V.P. pick, the Biden-Harris campaign launched their first bilingual ad.
Kamala was portrayed as the ultimate «aliada» and the «final puzzle piece.» Currently airing just in Pennsylvania, the Spanglish-narrated ad begins with: «Tell me who you walk with, and I’ll tell you who you are.»
Biden chose that phrase to connect to Hispanic voters in critical states like Pennsylvania, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Virginia, and North Carolina, paraphrasing Al Dia News.
How Kamala Harris supports the Latino community?
Like most of today’s Hispanic community, Kamala Harris is the daughter of immigrant parents. Her life experience increases her chances of understanding the everyday struggles of economically disadvantaged Latino households. Additionally, her record as a prosecutor highlights her dedication to raising the living standards of the Latino community.
Let’s take a look at Kamala Harris actions:
- In 2011, she took legal action against Paul Michael Benz, the owner, and operator of Benz Sanitation. His garbage collection company dumped garbage and damaged the health of the overwhelmingly Latino local population. As a result, Benz ended up paying $2.4 million in restitution.
- In 2013, Kamala Harris sued and won a $1.1 billion settlement against Corinthian Colleges. The “chain of for-profit campuses” ran predatory schemes that hurt many Latino college students.
“For years, Corinthian profited off the backs of poor people – now they have to pay. This judgment sends a clear message: there is a cost to this kind of predatory conduct,” said Attorney General Harris. “My office will continue to do everything in our power to help these vulnerable students obtain all available relief; as they work to achieve their academic and professional goals.” - For her contributions to the Latino community; the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) chose Harris as a keynote speaker at its annual conference in 2014.
- Later on, Harris convened a roundtable with international law firms and immigration advocates; to promote providing legal aid pro-bono to Central American unaccompanied minors in December 2015.
- In 2016, she released a Truancy Report in Spanish to make sure that Latinos understood the severity and consequences of absenteeism in their community. In her report, she stressed the importance of school attendance to a child’s learning and future.
Her history of allyship to the Latino community did not go unnoticed by the Biden campaign
From the beginning, Latinos have been noticing Harris’ proposals and initiatives. According to a Univision poll released after the first Democratic Primary Debate in 2019, Kamala Harris received the highest Latino support.
After the debate, Kamala Harris rose by 16 percentage points from only 6% of Latinos voting for her pre-debate to more than a fifth (22%) of national eligible Latino voters.
Her willingness to reform our immigration system, increase gun control and make health care more accessible will likely mobilize Latino voters for Biden and her in November.
As Julian Castro, the only Latino Democratic 2020 presidential candidate, told NBC News earlier this month, «she has a track record Latinos can have confidence in.» Adding, «she’s going to be listening and thinking about the community as she campaigns with Biden.»
Additionally, her support for the legalization of marijuana, the re-opening of D.A.C.A., and the reduction of taxes for the middle class and lower class. As well as her promotion of police reform in the wake of George Floyd’s murder increases her appeal to younger Latino voters who, in most cases, will be the first ones to vote in their families.
Her presence on the ballot could have a high impact on the Latino community; a June poll found that 52 percent of Latino voters in key battleground states would be more likely to vote for Biden if he chose Kamala Harris as his running mate. Now that he has chosen her as his Vice President, we can have hope that Trump’s days of demagoguing our community will soon be over.
