What the Harris campaign is doing to try to win over more Black men

From behind her barber chair and in her community, Cherita Evans — who goes by “Storm the Barber” — has picked up on a troubling trend for Vice President Harris’ campaign.

“Most of my female family and friends — they’re voting for Harris,” Evans said in an interview at the Head Changerz shop last week. But she said some of the men in her life aren’t so sure. “I think … a lot of men aren’t ready to vote for a woman.”

“In my community, you have a lot of men, who, you know, won’t even be under a female leadership in church,” said Evans.

This is a problem the Harris campaign is racing to address as early voting begins in key states where every vote will count. Polls show former President Donald Trump may be making some inroads with Black male voters — and other Black men may not vote.

That’s why on Tuesday Harris will be taking questions from callers in swing states in a town hall conversation moderated by Charlamagne tha God, an influential Black radio host who has pulled very few punches with Democratic politicians.

The challenge was underscored by former President Barack Obama this week. He spoke what he called “some truths” about how energy and turnout for Harris in Black communities was not what it was when he was running — and said that it “seems to be more pronounced with the brothers.”

“Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that,” Obama said.

What Harris is doing to reach Black male voters

Harris’ campaign is working to engage Black male voters, including hosting tailgate events at homecomings at historically Black colleges. Harris also had a conversation on All the Smoke, a podcast hosted by two former NBA stars, where she talked about her identity — something she hasn’t often leaned into on the campaign trail.

This weekend, Harris will be in Eastern North Carolina, a section of the state with a large Black population but where turnout among those voters has lagged in recent years.

Her path to the presidency runs through communities like Rocky Mount, where NPR first met Evans back in May.

At that time, Evans was less than enthusiastic about the election, saying she didn’t like Trump or Biden. Evans was disappointed that Harris had disappeared from the spotlight.

“After she became vice president, it seemed like she just kind of got quiet,” said Evans.

Evans said she thinks Harris is a better candidate than Biden — but not perfect.

“I’m going to be honest with you: I don’t really like Trump, so I am going to vote for her,” said Evans. “But I don’t think she’s done a very great job of addressing the main issues that we are having.”

Like so many voters this year, Evans says gas prices are high and groceries are too expensive. She sees Harris talking about going after companies for price gouging in the ads that show up constantly on the TV in the barbershop — but Evans doesn’t buy that as a real solution.

There’s a generational divide in voting

Back in May, Evans was cutting the hair of Christian Pounds, a 22-year-old college student. At the time he didn’t like either candidate and didn’t think his vote would change anything.

Reached on the phone this week, he said he’s definitely planning to vote. “When Biden dropped out, I was kind of happy,” Pounds said, explaining he thought Biden was too old for the job.

The other night, Pound says he got into a heated discussion with his uncle and his cousin about voting. His cousin isn’t planning to vote. “My uncle was like, ‘You better vote for Kamala Harris.’”

Pounds said he sees a real generational divide among his friends and family — “the young people vs. the old, when it comes to voting vs. not voting,”

In the neighboring community of Wilson, Mike Harris is a barber at Style Masters. He’s been voting for Democrats all his life, and said he hopes Harris will become the first female president.

But the same isn’t true for all of his clients and friends

“Some people — I don’t know if they joking or not — say they are” voting for Trump, said Mike Harris.

“Some people don’t believe in female leaders, but I tell them all the time … my mom raised me and my brother in our house. So I think that, you know, women can do the job,” Mike Harris said.

NPR’s Jason Fuller and Gus Contreras contributed to this story.