Advocates hope Harris will support reparations for Black Americans

Reparations advocates say Harris’s past comments and her new position as the first Black and Asian American woman to head a presidential ticket give them renewed hope that the movement to provide recompense for Black Americans for decades of discrimination could gain new, national traction.

But how Harris feels now, five years after expressing support in her first presidential campaign, how high the issue rests in her priorities and what impact that may have on the coalition of voters she must assemble to defeat Republican Donald Trump remains a mystery.

The Harris campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment on her current position on reparations.

Some Harris allies argue that support for reparations could help her attract Black voters who have been swayed somewhat by Trump’s economic message.