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Being Black and Republican in the Era of Trump Presents Real Challenges

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “I had to reevaluate my views and why I was with a [Democratic] party that did not support me. While I have always been conservative, I was told as a black woman I must be a Democrat. I attempted to become a Republican several times, but the Board of Election kept keeping me as a Democrat. I finally became a Republican in 2019,” said Shekinah Monee of Perfect Vision PR Company.

Published

5 years ago

July 9, 2019

Oakland Post

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

It’s likely that identifying as a Republican today isn’t as easy as it once was, particularly with President Donald Trump’s policies that have included separating children from parents; the administration’s escalating racial rhetoric; and a special counsel report that strongly suggests the nation’s commander-in-chief committed crimes that may not just end with obstruction of justice.

And, as tough as it is for White GOP members to identify with the party (See: Michigan Rep. Justin Amash’s declaring his independence this month and leaving the party) African American Republicans may have an even more difficult task of letting people know where they stand.

In fact, prominent Republicans like South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Telly Lovelace, who once was responsible for African American outreach, press strategy and field engagement for the Republican National Committee, nixed requests by the NNPA Newswire to detail life as a Black Republican.

We also reached out to others without success including Herman Caine, Condoleezza Rice, Dr. Ben Carson, and Armstrong Williams.

Perhaps they weren’t able to articulate what former RNC Chair Michael Steele could – “I mean, you know, people don’t ask Democrats that question when they had their crazy left-wingers out there,” Steele said.

“But, you know in any political climate there are underlying arguments for being reasonable and in my view, which is why I remain a Republican, is that despite Donald Trump, there’s still a balance and there’s still underlying arguments for Republicanism that are still valid,” Steele said.

“The principles are still valid,” he said before offering a reminder of what he told a Washington Post reporter in 2018.

“You invite me over to a nice dinner and I come to your home. And during the course of that evening, I start breaking your china. I start slicing your drapes, tearing up your carpet, putting holes in your walls.

“So, at that point, do you leave, or do you kick my ass out? You’re going to kick me out. That’s where I am. I’m not leaving. This is my house.

“I know I gotta repair the drapes and patch up the holes in the walls and replace the carpet. But your ass will be gone and that’s the goal,” Steele said.

Shekinah Monee, of Perfect Vision PR Company, said as a Republican in the current climate it’s often difficult when she discusses her views to fellow African Americans who don’t favor her party.

“My mother blames my boyfriend for my party change, although my views have never changed,” Monee told NNPA Newswire.

“I had to reevaluate my views and why I was with a [Democratic] party that did not support me. While I have always been conservative, I was told as a black woman I must be a Democrat. I attempted to become a Republican several times, but the Board of Election kept keeping me as a Democrat. I finally became a Republican in 2019,” Monee said.

“I think that the African American community truly needs to read and know their history. I think that a lot of people dislike a person and let it speak for the party,” she said.

“There is no consideration taken about the entire picture. Also, we must hold everyone to the same standards,” Monee continued.

Having worked in Republican politics for 15 years and being the head of the only black GOP political campaign consulting firm, Richard S. Holt said his experience shows that having an all-white administration makes many African Americans believe that the party is racist.

“My friends and family understand this narrative and how it works in terms of the politics of race,” Holt said.

“My father was very conservative and hated the Democrats who he saw as holding back black progress. As I grew up, I began to get a better understanding of his ideas,” said Holt, whose father was the first in his family to get a college degree and the first black chemist to graduate from his college,” he said.

“I was taught a very ‘up by the bootstraps’ idea that we had to be smarter, be wiser, and work harder than whites to get ahead,” Holt said.

“Once I read the book, ‘Conscience of a Conservative,’ in college back in 1999, I was sold on conservatism overall,” he said.

Holt did say he disagreed with the author’s ideas on the Civil Rights Act, but the overall philosophy of conservatism just made the most sense for the kind of America he wanted to live in.

Jonathan Farley, whose father is a native of Guyana who holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, and his mother who is Jamaican and holds a Ph.D. in American history, said he’s an independent who voted Republican in the 2018 midterm elections.

“I decided to do that because of the Democratic Party’s support for alternative lifestyle groups and the party’s support for women who make false allegations against men like the #MeToo movement,” Farley said.

Despite his conversion, Farley said he doesn’t believe African Americans as a whole will ever be convinced that the Republican party has the community’s best interest in mind.

“Republicans should make it clear that the Democratic party supports anti-Christian efforts like teaching kindergarteners about transsexuals and Republicans should stop taking the side of neo-Confederate groups and the party should publicly state that Confederate statues need to be removed,” Farley said.

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.