Let’s not forget that it was the Democratic Party that imposed Jim Crow segregation on the community of my youth. Today, it consistently works to make it harder to get a good education, start a business, and live in a safe community. But when October rolls around, we see a desperate attempt to reach out to the Black community — a rinse-and-repeat cycle — using and abusing Black voters, only to discard us when it suits the Democrats’ agenda.

Nothing illustrates Harris’s low regard for Black men more than her attempts to win our support. Aside from the obvious attacks on our intelligence through the offering of “free loans” and “legal weed,” lines like “protect cryptocurrency investments so Black men who make them know their money is safe” demonstrate that she is just throwing promises at the wall to see what sticks, without thinking about what policies will actually help the Black community succeed.

Young Black men want and deserve the same opportunities as everyone else in America: the chance to build generational wealth and reach financial independence. We want to create businesses, invest in our communities, and achieve our American Dream.

Black Americans want what everyone else wants — safe neighborhoods where our families can thrive without fear. We’re demanding real education options that give our kids the tools to compete and succeed on merit, hard work, and resilience — not handouts.

Under President Donald Trump, real progress for the Black community wasn’t just a talking point — it was a reality. His administration pushed for Opportunity Zones, breathing life into our neighborhoods and creating jobs that revitalized local economies. We saw the highest Black employment rates in history, all thanks to policies aimed at elevating us, not build to foster more dependency. 

In education, Trump promised to give disadvantaged kids the chance to attend schools of their choice, and he delivered by boosting funding for school choice initiatives, tailoring options to fit the needs of our youth.

Safety in our communities was another priority. President Trump committed to investing in law enforcement, ramping up federal support for local agencies, and launching initiatives to tackle gang violence. He also made good on his promise of equal justice under the law with the First Step Act, which brought essential reforms to reduce sentencing disparities.

And let’s not forget the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which fulfilled Trump’s vow to lower business taxes and to provide relief for middle class families. This was about creating real opportunities for hard-working Americans, and it showed in every aspect of his administration.

The idea that we will blindly follow the Democratic playbook is over. I have waited for this moment for 40 years — it’s a moment in which the Black community and other America-loving minorities return to the value-based roots of our nation: faith, family, and free-market principles.

November 5 will be our opportunity to reclaim those values and, in the process, pull our great nation back from the dark abyss of division and hopelessness envisioned by the Democratic Party. Our future demands more than empty promises.

Kamala Harris is a bad deal not only for Black Americans but for all Americans. It’s time we demand better.

Rep. Burgess Owens represents Utah’s 4th District in Congress.