What’s an oxymoron? Putting two words that seemingly have no similarities together. That’s what you get when someone is labeled a “black republican”. Black people have been one of the most loyal and die-hard adherents to Democrats for decades.
I have not ever beat the that drum, however. Here in Rhode Island I could easily wear the Democrat label and be as conservative as I am without sticking out like a sore thumb. In this Democrat dominated state, party label is paramount to personal conviction. Not naming names, there are many politicians in the state calling themselves Democrats but upholding many Republican philosophies.
Getting back to the point, why have I chosen to wear a label that I a) don’t need to wear in this state to be effective and b) runs counter to many of minority brethren? It’s simple. Any change starts with someone taking a stand for what they believe in. When the first person who thought women should have the right to vote spoke up, it’s unlikely he or she was applauded and given a ticker-tape parade. Yet, slowly and through effective persuasion more and more people became convinced that women should have the right to vote.
In my case, my desire is to convince others that being a Republican is not some crazy idea and that being a black republican isn’t ’selling out’ or showing no compassion to my fellow man. On the contrary, Republican philosophy is one that I believe is better than Democratic philosophy and hope to with this blog demonstrate so. Do Republicans do dumb things? Sure they do and I don’t plan to blindly follow anyone or anything – neither should you.
I voted for our president, taking a lot of heat. Unfortunately, I thought he was the best option. I didn’t like either option from a political standpoint so I went with what I believed was least objectionable. So, while I consider myself a black republican and I’m not ashamed of that label, I encourage you and do myself think independently.
This past week I attended a young republicans event. I was the only black face in the crowd and while that happens to me often in my workplace or other settings, I had forgotten how different a feeling that is in a political setting. I’d like to see more black republicans and more minority republicans in general. I think one of the major hindrances to any minority group is groupthink. With groupthink you can be pigeonholed and thereby marginalized. As black people, we cannot allow that to happen and while we have a black president we don’t always need to follow him like some pied piper and should be willing to challenge him and other leaders sans fear of being labeled a sell out.
Being black and being a republican is an interesting experience, even within my own home as my wife certainly does not share all of my political leanings – to put it mildly. But, just like the person who said women should have the right to vote I say that blacks and republicans can work hand in hand. If you can’t see it, just give me some time.
