With continued national stories of insensitivities from the GOP, I know what you’re asking
I know what you’re thinking, so this won’t be the typical piece from me this week.
Is he going to talk about the mess coming from his party or is he going to focus our attention some place else?
Is he going to talk about the ills in his party the same way he would talk about the problems with, say President Obama’s health care plan?
Especially since anyone can see the latest on Huffington Post or The Daily Beast about the latest with young Republicans and racism. Not too long ago, it was a statement in Tennessee or an e-mail in South Carolina, sometime around the time of a comment about the First Lady and apes.
Yes, I have something to say – to all of us.
In essence, I want to answer “why.”
I will give two answers: “because” and “yes.”
To answer, “why are you still affiliated with the Republicans after all of this?”
“Because…”
Because no African-American 100 years ago would have imagined themselves as being integrated within the Democratic Party as Black America is now. There is a need to stop the teeter-totter political existence that Black America has had when voting was safely available to us throughout American history. We swing wildly one way or another. For inclusion and the next level of success, we have to be balanced.
Because I believe that conservatism is the best course for our communities to rise up and a people and grasp the potential that we have. Bigger government has not worked for us and the quest to grow it more threatens to make things worse. And yes, they can get worse.
But, my “because” is more than the typical Republican speaking points, even in light of the racism swirling around.
As Dr. King said, “…a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere…” That “anywhere” includes the GOP and that “everywhere” includes America. If we are going to defend justice wherever needed and whenever possible, we must defend it where we find ourselves and not run when convenience yields way to discomfort. I find myself in the Party of Lincoln, an organization with a proud past and in a troubled time. It is where I feel the defense of justice should be and the resurgence of America will come from. Because of this, I have an obligation to promote a social agenda with a proven track record of success while also protecting what is right. I’m not alone in that battle. Young leaders such as Princella Smith, Tony Leatherman, and others take up the mantle to move us forward as well. If discomfort is the problem, we need not run. Leaders don’t change their stripes. They earn them.
And that le
