Charlotte, N.C./June 12, 2024 – Vice President Kamala Harris took to the stage at Johnson C. Smith University Wednesday, June 12, as the fourth stop on her nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour. During her fifth visit to the state this year, the Vice President addressed everything from medical debt to ambition. "Dream with ambition. Never apologize for it," she said.
The Vice President was greeted by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, acting Secretary of HUD, Adrianne Todman, and Dr. Valerie Kinloch, the 15th President of Johnson C. Smith University. Harris was joined on stage by actor Michael Ealy and political analyst Bakari Sellers for the economic conversation.
During the chat, the Vice President spoke about college debt forgiveness and asserted that all students deserve the benefit of debt forgiveness, including those who began but did not graduate from college. "When people work hard and do good work, we should reward that," Harris implored the audience packed inside the Jack S. Brayboy Gymnasium at JCSU.
The Vice President wanted to bring home the idea that "It is about creating public policy that is logical." She said that logic applies in the world of healthcare and medical debt reform. "Your credit score is supposed to be a measure of if you are fiscally responsible…. We have now made it so that medical debt does not affect your credit score." The Vice President’s remarks were met with thunderous applause from a crowd of supporters, politicians, high school students from Jack and Jill of America, and JCSU faculty, staff and administrators.
The Economic Opportunity Tour event at JCSU was covered by local and national media, from print to television news. The stop at Johnson C. Smith University was Vice President Harris’ 13th visit to the state of North Carolina since she was sworn into office.
