Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris spoke with three members of the National Association of Black Journalists on Tuesday, Sept. 17. The vice president’s sit-down conversation comes nearly two months after her Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump, held a contentious interview during the organization’s national convention in Chicago. NewsVision’s Trinity Webster-Bass reports from Philadelphia.
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By Kayla Smernoff
Howard University News Service
PHILADELPHIA (HUNS) — Vice President Kamala Harris discussed a range of topics — from child care and the recent bomb threats in Springfield, Ohio, to the war in Gaza and gun control — during a moderated conversation with the National Association of Black Journalists on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Harris spoke with three journalists about her campaign, policies and goals for the United States before an audience of about 100 NABJ members at WHYY public radio.
Gerren Keith Gaynor asked about the NAACP’s recent study that showed one in four Black men were considering voting for Donald Trump.
“Black men are like any other voters; you have to earn their vote,” Harris responded. “So, I am working on earning their vote. I am not assuming I am going to have it because I am Black, but because the policies and perspectives I have understand what we must do to recognize the needs of all communities, and I intend to be a president for all people.”
Gaynor, White House correspondent and managing editor of politics at TheGrio.com, said, “It was important to get the vice president on the record speaking directly to [Black men] knowing the amount of people who would be watching and hoping that Black male voters can get something from the conversation.”
Besides Gaynor, the panel included moderator Tonya Mosley, co-host of “Fresh Air” on WHYY, and Eugene Daniels, White House correspondent and co-author of Politico’s Playbook newsletter.
The journalists asked the vice president about violence at home and abroad. “We’re not trying to take anyone’s guns away from them,” Harris said about gun control in the United States, “but we need to ban assault weapons.”
Harris said the war in Gaza needs to end, but made points on behalf of Israel and Palestine. For Palestinians, she acknowledged “the importance of fighting for the safety of everybody in the country and doing anything we can so they are not made to feel alone or made to feel small.”
The moderated conversation with Harris followed former President Donald Trump’s controversial appearance at NABJ’s annual conference in Chicago in August. The association invites both presidential candidates to its conference every election season, NABJ President Ken Lemon said during his opening remarks. This year is the first time in 24 years that candidates from both major parties spoke to NABJ members.
“We represent Black journalists all over the country and beyond,” said Michael Days, president of NABJ-Philadelphia. “It’s our responsibility and our duty to bring together candidates running for the highest office in the country.”
NABJ invited its college chapters and HBCU newsrooms to cover Harris’ conversation. Some student journalists attended both the NABJ conference and the Philadelphia event.
“As an HBCU student, I am really excited to see her,” said Zakaiya Williams, a senior at Morgan State University in Baltimore. “I’ve been looking forward to this, because I went to the NABJ conference in Chicago and I was so disappointed that Trump was there but she couldn’t make it.”
Vernon Clark, an NABJ volunteer and now-retired journalist, was pleased with the vice presidential event. “I thought the crowd was interested,” Clark said. “They listened very carefully. There were no interruptions. I thought that she delivered her message clearly, and the questions did a very good job.”
The conversation with Harris ran slightly over 30 minutes and left some wishing for more time.
“I would not be surprised if many voters wanted to hear more, much in the same way that we had other questions that we wanted to ask,” Gaynor said. “But I do hope that they heard a different conversation from the vice president on issues that she does not often speak about.”
The audience also heard the vice president’s response to Donald Trump’s criticism of her laugh, which she said represented joy over negativity.
“I find joy in the American people,” Harris said. “I find joy in optimism and in what I see to be our future. I find joy with ambitious people. I find joy in the dreams of people. I find joy in building community.”
Kayla Smernoff is a reporter for HUNewsService.com.
