Let's go forward, together: Creating a prosperous future for Korean Americans

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Let's go forward, together: Creating a prosperous future for Korean Americans

Published: 03 Nov. 2024, 15:32

Kamala Harris
The author is U.S. vice president and Democratic presidential candidate.

The following is the full text of a special contribution by U.S. Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris to the Yonhap News Agency.

My mother, like so many Korean mothers, sacrificed to give our family the best life possible. At just 19, she left India for California alone to realize her dream of curing breast cancer. She earned her doctorate at UC Berkeley and became a leading cancer researcher while raising me and my sister, Maya.

That is why I deeply respect the Korean American story of courage and resilience. Countless Korean immigrants have worked long hours — many in their family-owned grocery stores, dry cleaners and restaurants — to build a brighter future for their children. Today, over two million Koreans enrich every corner of America. President Biden and I were proud to host the first-ever Chuseok celebration at the White House and commemorate Korean American Day every year we have been in office, recognizing the community’s contributions to the American story since the first Korean immigrants arrived in 1903.

One of the lessons my mother taught me was to never complain about injustice, but do something about it. So at a young age, I decided I wanted to do the work of fighting for people, and that has been the story of my entire career. As a courtroom prosecutor, I stood up for women and children against predators. As Attorney General of California, I took on the big banks and delivered $20 billion for families who faced foreclosure. As Vice President, I have stood up for workers and seniors. Now, I am running for president — because I believe Americans want and deserve a leader who will fight for all the American people.

This election is about two very different visions for our nation: one focused on the future, the other on the past. I represent a new, optimistic generation of leadership and will chart a New Way Forward — one that protects the aspirations of the Korean American community and ensures you cannot just get by, but get ahead.

I grew up in a middle class household, and I remember my mother’s sacrifices and the long hours she spent to make things work for our family, sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and a pile of bills. As president, I will create an Opportunity Economy where everyone has the chance to own a home, raise a family, and build wealth. I will cut taxes for 100 million Americans, expand the Child Tax Credit to $6,000 per child, and lower the costs for necessities like food, housing, and childcare. For Korean American entrepreneurs, I will boost access to credit and capital for small businesses and make federal funding more accessible. For Korean Americans in the sandwich generation, who are providing intergenerational care to both children and parents, my Medicare at Home plan will cover the cost of home care for the elderly and include vision and hearing coverage for seniors. I will also strengthen the Affordable Care Act, which has reduced the Korean American uninsured rate from 27 to 8 percent.

These policies will move America forward. But Donald Trump threatens to send us backward. He will rip away critical health care protections and slash Medicare. The “Trump Tax” will raise costs for families by $4,000 a year. Economists agree: Trump’s plan would lead to a recession by mid-2025 and drive inflation.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Trump’s failure of leadership cost lives and fueled a wave of anti-Asian violence. I worked with President Biden to enact legislation to combat anti-Asian hate crimes. We welcomed BTS to the White House, where they spoke up for inclusion amid attacks on Asian Americans. We also confronted the gun violence epidemic, which has stolen precious lives in too many communities like Atlanta. While Trump says we should “get over” gun violence while pushing for more guns on our streets, I helped to implement the first major gun safety law in nearly 30 years.

Our safety is also dependent on comprehensive immigration reform. While Trump did nothing to fix our broken immigration system, I will secure our border and champion an earned pathway to citizenship.

Donald Trump is an unserious man, but the consequences of him ever getting back into the White House are brutally serious. Trump has vowed to be a dictator on “day one,” and speaks openly about using the military against Americans. His own national security officials warn he is unhinged and unstable, and out for unchecked power. Consider what he intends to do if we give him power again, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled he would be immune from criminal prosecution. He would wield the powers of the presidency not to improve your life, not to strengthen our nation, but to serve himself.

We cannot let this happen. And I promise to preserve our freedoms and global leadership.

In 2022, I stood at the DMZ and reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of South Korea. I know our alliance has been a linchpin of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world. Trump, by contrast, is demanding that South Korea pay $10 billion a year to host our troops despite its already sizable contributions — disparaging our alliance and disregarding America’s standing in the Indo-Pacific.

More than 36,000 Americans and over 137,000 Korean soldiers gave their lives during the Korean War, fighting side by side to defend freedom and liberty. During last year’s state visit with President Yoon Suk Yeol, I promised to honor this bond as we commemorated the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK alliance. Under my vice presidency, we have advanced our people-to-people ties and deepened our economic partnership by catalyzing huge South Korean private sector investments in America, which are creating good-paying jobs for Americans in industries like semiconductors and electric vehicles.

I humbly ask for your vote, because if I have the privilege of serving as your president, I know that together we can turn the page on this divisive era of our politics and start working towards a better future for all Americans.

Korean Americans represent the very best of what is possible in this country. I promise to carry on the legacy of our parents and their sacrifices, so that our children can achieve the promise of America. Let us continue to “Go Together.” Gam-sa-ham-ni-da.