February 24, 2006

Source: The North Carolina Conservative

"Black Americans and the Republican Party, A Forgotten Legacy" by Dr. Ada Fisher

The first black Senator was Hiram R. Revels, elected to fill the US Senate seat formerly held by Jefferson Davis. Joseph H. Rainey of S.C. became the first African-American Congressman. Blanche K. Bruce of Mississippi was the first African-American elected to a full term in the US Senate. All of this was before Reconstruction. John R. Lynch is the first African-American to preside over the RNC and gave the keynote address. Edward Brooke (MA) was the first black Republican Senator post-Reconstruction, and he received the 2004 Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush, a Republican president. So far 3 of the 6 elected black US Senators have been Republicans.

There are now approximately 48,000 registered black Republicans in North Carolina. To many, the 2004 election wasn't a signal just about Red States and Blue States, but also a hidden signal that African-Americans influence in defining a political agenda may be declining. Are we again becoming an expendable people since our status as the largest minority group now dwindles?

In the rush to find fault while looking for a rightward turn, people forget that it was the Democrats who brought in poll taxes which kept us from voting; were behind the Jim Crow laws which separated us into white and colored; vigorously supported the Ku Klux Klan; and kept us out of their party and from unions and opportunities dictating a say in the course of our lives.

The New Deal, which was ushered in by the Democrats, saw a change of party fortunes with a dependency of people on the government not seen since socialism. The Great Society of Lyndon Johnson took on segregation but, in so doing to some, possibly undermined the social fabric of an independent people in its push for a safety net, which abolished individual responsibility and accountability for behavior and actions.

The Republicans were not only the party of Abraham Lincoln, but the party which has always stood for free speech, individual rights and individual choice. It was the Republican Party, which pushed civil rights and passed the first civil rights legislation in 1865 as well as pushed the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the constitution, which effectively outlawed slavery. This was also the party that was at the forefront of the Women’s Suffrage movement, which is in harmony with the establishment of 1972 Title IX legislation. Though most don’t recall it, Dwight Eisenhower followed through on the integration of the armed forces. His nomination for President was seconded by Dr. Helen G. Edmonds, a black professor at Durham's North Carolina College. It was President Eisenhower, a Republican who appointed Earl Warren (previous California Republican Governor) as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court who wrote for the unanimous court in 1954 that separate but equal is a myth, and schools and society should become integrated for all Americans.

Other hidden treasures and glimpses of quiet GOP leadership reveal that not only did Richard Nixon open communications with China, he elevated the environment to national priority status, as well as a cabinet position through the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency. It was Nixon and his Assistant Labor Secretary Arthur Fletcher who ushered in programs of Affirmative Action, creating legislatively equal opportunities for many who had been disenfranchised by non-competitive hiring practices--1972 Equal Opportunities Act). This was not a program of quotas and set asides, but one which begged the question of fairness in the face of historical patterns of discrimination when qualified persons from diverse backgrounds were available but denied jobs. Pell Grants which afforded college opportunities for those economically disadvantaged was another program penned in by Republican Richard Nixon. For all of the hand-holding and singing of “We Shall Overcome,” it was Republican Ronald Reagan who signed the legislation making Martin Luther King Day a national holiday for a man some say registered as a Republican in 195.

President George H. W. Bush was bold in putting General Colin Powell in charge of all military forces as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And for all the talk about diversity, the administration of George W. Bush, like no other, can claim with distinction that it has brought competent men and women of all ethnic backgrounds to use their talents to address affairs of State (Colin Powell and Condolezza Rice), National Security (Condolezza Rice), Education (Rodney Paige), and Housing & Urban Development (Alphonso Jackson). No administration had previously had more than two African-Americans in such significant Cabinet-level positions.

Many of the historically Black Colleges and Universities had Republicans in their founding. At their helms were many Black Republicans such as Dr. James E. Shepard, founder and first president of North Carolina Central University. Dr. Shepard, who was the Grand Master of the NC black masons, befriended fellow Republican and Minister, Dr. Miles Mark Fisher (my father, the son of a slave), who delivered his eulogy. Many of the early AMEZ ministers were Black Republicans and had a hand in Livingstone College's beginnings, as well as sustenance. The late Dr. Helen Edmonds, a professor of History at North Carolina Central University, was one of the first blacks to serve in an appointment to the United Nations under a Republican President.

For some black Republicans, the ostracism from peers at choosing the non-majority political party drove them to the sidelines and closet. Jackie Robinson, the first black Major League baseball player was a Republican and a founder of the National Black Republican Council. Also, many of the black entrepreneurs and financial icons of North Carolina were Republicans, such as Joe Dudley (Dudley Beauty Products), Robert Brown (High Point consultant), Frank Anderson (Research Triangle area plastic molding business founder) and the late Asa T. Spaulding, Sr. (first black actuary in the state and previous president of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, when it was the largest black owned and controlled business in the world).

Those in the know appreciate that Republicans stand for small businesses, many of which started in our communities; are firm on the constitution supporting gun rights, which often made a difference in the African-American community's security; options for school learning; and traditional marriage, which correlate with the belief system of over 60% of the African-American population, though media reports belie those poll figures.

In the latest national election, it was reported that 11% of blacks supported the Republican ticket, though these figures usually exclude those not living in traditionally black communities. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (the only black founded think tank in the USA) noted that 16-18% of African Americans would vote Republican, which might be closer to the truth if those blacks living outside of traditionally black communities were counted.

It's time for the truth to be reported on African-Americans and the Republican Party for as the bible and Carolina Time's state, "The Truth Shall Set You Free."

Additional enlightening reading:
Wayne Perryman, Unfounded Loyalty An In-Depth Look Into The Blind Love Affair
Between Blacks and the Democrats. Hara Publishing Group, ©2004.
Michael Zak, Back To Basics For The Republican Party, Signature Book Printing, Inc.


DR. ADA M. FISHER IS A PHYSICIAN, LICENSED TEACHER FOR SECONDARY EDUCATION IN MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE, PREVIOUSLY ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, AND WAS A REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR THE US SENATE IN 2002 AND 12TH US CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT IN 2004. CONTACT HER AT P. O. BOX 777; SALISBURY, NC 28145; TELEPHONE (704) 637-6134.

The North Carolina Conservative can be found at http://www.northcarolinaconservative.com.