NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson joined Vice President Kamala Harris at her rally in Flint, Michigan, on Oct. 4 and focused much of his energy on getting a message to Black men to vote for Harris in November’s presidential election.
“There’s a lot of Black men in here and I don’t mean to, you know, not talk to other people but this is important,” Johnson said, according to Deadline Detroit. “Our Black men, we gotta get them out to vote, that’s number one. Kamala’s opponent promised a lot of things last time to the Black community that he did not deliver on, and we gotta make sure we help Black men understand that.”
Johnson’s appearance dovetails with an Athletes for Harris coalition the Harris-Walz campaign unveiled in September.
Johnson, who is a co-chair of the initiative, was a centerpiece of the campaign, and ahead of the appearance in Flint alongside Vice President Harris, functionally endorsed Harris via a statement unveiling the coalition.
“I have known Vice President Harris for over 25 years, and you can count on her to deliver on what she says she is going to do,” Johnson said. “She’ll be a president for all people, no matter the race, language, sexual orientation, or party line.
“She showed all of us—and showed the
world—that she was ready to be president, how smart she is, and her plan for the country in that debate,” Johnson said. “We are not going backwards; we are moving forward. For all of the athletes out there, don’t be afraid to use your platforms —we need all of you to get involved. Share this with your friends that Vice President Harris has an agenda that will move the country forward. The Magic Man is on board.”The campaign has made it a point to court Black men, with Harris explicitly laying out her focus on this demographic during a September interview with a panel of journalists from the National Association of Black Journalists. Trump and the Republican Party have been trying to capitalize on Black men’s dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party.
According to The New York Times, interviews with several Black male voters, influencers, and strategists reflect a broader frustration with the Democratic Party that Republicans have been willing to exploit, and they are willing to play the long game to eventually get their support.
Kenneth Clark, a 43-year-old cybersecurity manager and entrepreneur, said that although Trump sowed discord in the country, he couldn’t readily identify a tangible difference in his own life.
“What did it exactly do to us? What did it do to our communities exactly?” Clark told the outlet. “Did it empower us? Did it hurt us? We were in the same position as we were before.”
Clark continued, “I’m not a supporter of Trump. But at the same time I don’t know for sure what either parties’ plans are directly affecting us and our culture.”
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