Vice President Kamala Harris Speaks to the Black Press of America

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Vice President Kamala Harris provided a message of hope while striking an encouraging tone during an exclusive interview with the Black Press of America.

The Vice President, who cut her teeth as a California prosecutor, State Attorney General, and later as an influential U.S. Senator, said that despite many setbacks to voting rights, she and the entire Biden-Harris administration haven’t and won’t stop fighting.

“I will tell you that I gave a speech with President Biden at Morehouse College, and afterward, I had a quiet visit with Ambassador Andrew Young because I was looking to him for inspiration,” Vice President Harris told the gathering of publishers and journalists from the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).

“Based on what history has taught us, Ambassador Young said in a nutshell that freedom is a constant struggle. But we don’t give up. That’s where I am. I’m not giving up,” the Vice President asserted.

She continued:

“We are going to keep on. This is a movement for voting rights. Coretta Scott King said the fight must be fought and won with each generation. This is certainly a moment that we should not have to be in, which is fighting against blatant laws that are designed to target specific communities that obstruct access to the ballot box.”

Vice President Harris offered that she’s leaned on “folks from every walk of life.”

She declared that all must remain purposely intentional and optimistic. With Democrat Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Krysten Sinema of Arizona dealing death blows to any hopes of passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote measure, Vice President Harris declined to place blame alone on those renegade party members.

“We have a fight in front of us. I will emphasize that there also are 50 Republicans who took an oath to support and defend the Constitution,” Vice President Harris remarked.

“I’m not prepared to absolve them of their responsibility to stand in the shoes and in the legacy of the Republicans who, in 2006 in that chamber in the U.S. Senate, voted 98-0 in favor of the extension to the Voting Rights Act.

“Let us be clear about the challenge here and who the protagonists and the antagonists are. The bottom line is that we must march on and fight on. It’s not new to us. We can’t be tired even though we are frustrated, and yes, disappointed, if not angered that we’re continuing to have this fight.”

In the news she provided exclusively to the Black Press, Vice President Harris announced the first National Roadway Safety Strategy.

“It’s about putting $6 billion into state and local government to improve safety on the roads,” Vice President Harris pronounced.

“It’s about funding for local communities for better streetlights, ensuring crosswalks are safe. We’re talking about the elderly, the mother with the stroller, the father with the stroller – people given enough time to cross the street. It’s a very big thing when you talk about the quality of life and when you live in communities where they rely on public streets to walk to church, to get the kids to school, to get them to the bus stop.”

NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. called the meeting with the Vice President “a tremendous boost for the NNPA.”

“Speaking directly with Vice President Kamala Harris today was a tremendous boost for the NNPA as we begin our yearlong promotion and celebration of the 195th anniversary of the Black Press of America,” Dr. Chavis proclaimed.

Vice President Harris noted that her first year in office had kept her busy.

She has met with heads of state, prime ministers, and other dignitaries.

Alarmingly, Vice President Harris noted that many had expressed concern about voting rights in America and the many voter suppression laws that have passed in Republican-led states since the 2020 election.

The Vice President noted that not only are those targeted by such laws affected but America’s standing as a global leader also has suffered.

“I hosted at the Vice President’s residence, [former German Chancellor] Angela Merkle, and while talking about China and Russia, she asked, ‘What is going on with voting in America?’” Vice President Harris said.

“We as Americans are about to take ourselves off the map as a role model for what democracy should be. [The world] is watching.

“You watch what a role model does. I met with the Presidents of Zambia and Ghana in my office, and they were talking about these issues. It has a direct connection to our standing around the world. We lose our legitimacy. [Voting rights] is a domestic issue, but it will impact our standing in the world.”

When discussing the administration’s success, Vice President Harris noted the massive bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed last year.

She pointed out that the bill contains significant funding for public transportation, a vital issue for people of color and the poor.

“African American workers are four times more likely to take public transit than white workers,” Vice President Harris noted.

“If we’re not putting funding in public transportation – $90 billion specifically – it means that if you miss your bus, you might lose an hour waiting for the next, and you could lose your job. So, it’s a big deal.”

She noted that the bill funds broadband in areas where none exist, and many find it hard to afford. Additionally, the infrastructure bill removes lead pipes and lead from paint, a serious problem facing many African American and low-income households.

When the administration began, the pandemic had taken its toll on much of the country and the globe. Since taking office, Vice President Harris said more than 200 million Americans had received Covid vaccines, and 75 million have gotten booster shots.

She noted the economic bounce back in the 6 million jobs the administration has created and the near-record-low 3.9 percent unemployment.

“One of the things I’m so proud of is to put the issue of Black maternal mortality on stage at the White House,” Vice President Harris told the NNPA.

“Black women are three times more likely to die from childbirth, and that’s a function of several things including racial bias in the medical health system,” she stated.

She said she intentionally put training at the top of the list.

“The training community would be doulas and midwives who understand and know communities and who will give dignity to the families they serve,” Vice President Harris commented.

“Another issue that disproportionately affects African American women is fibroids. Again, I’m talking fibroids inside the White House and what we need to do to address particular health needs of Black women in connection to what they do as wives, mothers, grandmothers, and leaders in the community.”

Dr. Chavis applauded Vice President Harris for her “detailed responses to questions posed by our NNPA member publishers from across the nation.”

“They were very informative and substantive,” Dr. Chavis concluded.

“The truth is some in the mainstream media have not given the progress of the Biden-Harris administration the recognition that it deserves. We in the Black Press will continue to give voice on the critical issue of voting rights, health care, criminal justice reform, and the protection of American democracy as articulated by Vice President Harris.”

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which represents the Black Press of America, has embarked on a national series featuring NBA owners on the issue of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Because of the Phoenix Suns and owner Robert Sarver’s significant outreach to the African American community, which occurred long before the rise of the Black Lives Matter Movement, the NNPA began the series with Sarver.

Sarver first discovered his interest in basketball as a teenager.

His father, Jack Sarver, a native of Flint, MI, enjoyed a friendship with then-University of Arizona Athletic Director David H. Strack, who recruited a local high school coach named Fred Snowden.

Strack hired Snowden as the head coach of the university’s men’s basketball team, making him the first African American major college basketball head coach.

“Coach Snowden was an esteemed high school coach in the Detroit area, and my dad was from Flint. So, they had a bond,” Robert Sarver told NNPA Newswire.

“I had never really gone to games other than a few Suns games early in my life, but the coach said, ‘you have to get season tickets,’ and that’s when I really started watching basketball,” Sarver added.

Coach Snowden and the Sarver family not only enjoyed a working relationship but formed a close bond that connected beyond basketball.

The elder Sarver named Coach Snowden to the Board of Directors of Sarver’s American Savings and Loan.

Soon, the Sarvers and Snowdens enjoyed familial association.

Over time, Robert Sarver witnessed how different his life was from Snowden.

It began to dawn on Sarver that the 1972 hiring of Coach Snowden would represent a personal realization.

That would help him understand better the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion – even as the nation reckoned with the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement and the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sarver witnessed the blatant discrimination faced by Coach Snowden and his family, particularly during road trips.

“The early years were not easy at all,” Snowden’s daughter, Stacey Snowden, recalled in a recently published interview.

“There was not a lot of acceptance and racial tolerance and so forth at that time,” Stacey Snowden remembered.

“We lived under the constant threat of life with death threats and bomb threats all the time. That was difficult, but we persevered and got through it. My father knew that these are the types of things you have to endure as a pioneer. He got through it and created something really, really special in the Arizona basketball legacy.”

Sarver also recalled the racism Coach Snowden experienced.

He said the experience helped shape his views not just on basketball but something far more significant: fighting for justice and defying inequities.

“It was the first time seeing it firsthand. It was a real eye-opener,” Sarver declared.

For 17 years as owner of the Suns — and for decades beforehand — Sarver has pressed for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

His businesses have run without controversy, operating without complaints or rumors of discrimination.

Sarver serves as the Executive Chairman of Western Alliance Bancorporation, the largest financial institution headquartered in Arizona.

The bank remains one of the most active business lenders in Arizona.

He’s also the co-founder of Southwest Value Partners, a more than 30-year-old real estate investment fund.

Sarver served as a director of SkyWest Airlines and the Phoenix-based Meritage Corporation.

According to his biography, under Sarver’s leadership, the Suns and Phoenix Suns Charities have given over $25 million in donations to local non-profits and provided thousands of hours of community service work by players, coaches and employees.

Ten years ago, following a conversation surrounding dropout rates with Arne Duncan (Secretary of Education for the Obama administration), Sarver also spearheaded the “SunsCentral” initiative. Through this initiative, the Suns organization “adopted” Central High School in Phoenix, which is an inner-city high school with a student body comprised of nearly 85% people of color. Over the last ten years, the SunsCentral initiative has provided over 200,000 hours of tutoring, and has dramatically improved the graduation rates of the neighborhood school.

A 1982 graduate of the University of Arizona, Sarver earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and, one year later, he became a certified public accountant.

When NBA players and owners agreed to become more inclusive and promised better diversity measures following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Sarver and the Suns led the way.

They transformed the team’s former home, the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, into a voting site. The move occurred in response to repeated conversations within the Suns organization about racial inequality.

Led by African American head coach Monty Williams, the Suns provided the team’s personnel an open forum to discuss racism.

Sarver also agreed to provide days off to employees, encouraging them to serve as poll workers during the 2020 elections.

The organization also partnered with the BYU Sports Business Club in Arizona and the Ballard Center for Social Impact to host a case competition to develop a diversity and inclusion plan for the Suns.

When asked to evaluate how some view the Suns’ organization as an example of an NBA team fully embracing DE&I, Sarver said the answer is simple.

“I think it’s in our DNA. I know it’s in my DNA from my upbringing with my parents and family and the thought process of trying to do the right thing,” Sarver responded.

“We’ve been very progressive even in the early days of my ownership – making sure of it in our hirings and work in the community,” Sarver continued.

“The culture of our organization, especially our players and employees, is committed to inclusion and social justice, even taking positions that may be adverse to our business and maybe a little controversial.”

The Suns owner continued:

“My dad had a saying that ‘you vote with your heart, not your wallet,’ and that stuck with me. I’m very proud of what the organization has done in the community over the past 18 years, and I think we’ve made a difference.”

Sarver also fully supported the NBA’s hiring of Oris Stuart as the league’s chief people and inclusion officer earlier this year.

Stuart leads the league’s combined Human Resources and Diversity and Inclusion groups and oversees diversity and inclusion strategies for the NBA.

The hire should prove a tremendous boost to the league’s overall goal of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Sarver said.

“I think [DE&I] is at the heart of who we should be as a society,” Sarver asserted.

“I’ve had the chance to see firsthand discrimination and the evils of it. I think it’s incumbent upon everyone to do the right thing, and often that means taking a position that may be a little uncomfortable for some. To me, it’s a way of life. That’s what I try to do. It’s the roadmap that I’ve followed.”