CNN
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Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday unveiled new proposals for Black men that she hopes will strengthen her coalition ahead of Election Day.

The announcement comes as Harris lags behind President Joe Biden's numbers among Black voters in 2020, particularly among men, although recent polls suggest she still has room to grow. Last week, former President Barack Obama issued a dire warning to black men, saying it would be “unacceptable” to sit out this election and suggesting they might be unwilling to vote for Harris because she is a woman.

The proposal aims to give Black men “the tools to achieve financial freedom, lower costs, better provide for themselves and their families, and protect their rights,” the campaign said in a press release.

Part of the proposal would provide one million loans up to $20,000 to Black entrepreneurs and others to start a business. The campaign said the loans would be provided through a new partnership between the Small Business Administration and some lenders and banks.

Harris also calls for creating and investing in programs that help expand employment opportunities for black men, including promoting apprenticeships, strengthening the public service lending program and investing in more black male teachers. During the campaign, Harris announced that if elected president, she would lower college degree requirements for certain federal positions.

The plan will also support a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies and other digital assets, as well as a National Health Equity Initiative that focuses on addressing health challenges that disproportionately affect Black men. Another component includes legalizing recreational marijuana and creating opportunities for Black Americans to succeed in the industry. The vice president has often reiterated that she believes marijuana should be legalized in the United States.

The campaign will tout the agenda at several upcoming events, including “Black Men Huddle Up” events, a series of conversations about economic freedom and paid media outreach, as they seek to draw a contrast with former President Donald Trump.

“Donald Trump's range is gold sneakers, t-shirts full of mugshots and insults, and denigration of other communities.” The vice president is actually talking about what black men can achieve under her presidency. “We believe this is a stark contrast and important to talk about,” Michael Tyler, communications director for the Harris-Walz campaign, said in a statement.

As CNN reported, Harris had already focused on eliminating black men before she took office as the Democratic nominee and tried to drum up enthusiasm for Biden while he was still running for re-election.

“The concern is that the couch will win,” a person close to the Harris team previously told CNN. “We need to make sure that black men, Hispanic men, are not sitting on the couch. Because if they don't vote at all. This is (a) vote for him.”

Harris will travel to Detroit this week on Tuesday for a radio town hall hosted by Charlamagne tha God, co-host of the national radio station, which has millions of followers across all digital platforms, while “The Breakfast Club” has a large national audience, many of whom are black.