This opinion piece is in response to Seth Johnson's column "Black, Not Necessarily Liberal" which appeared in the Sept. 27 issue of The Eagle.
Why aren't blacks voting for the Conservatives? Good question, but let's first do some research. Most African-Americans are highly religious and hold conservative opinions on gay marriage and school vouchers, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. It's obvious that all blacks are not liberal, as noted by Alan Keys, Clarence Thomas, Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell, to name a few. However, you have to cater to the black vote, and let's face it: Conservatives aren't wasting their time looking for such a small percentage of voters. Kennedy and Clinton won over 'blacks' because they created programming to advance and improve their quality of life; and lets face it, these men were sensational.
Historically, African-Americans have stayed to the left because most of the Democratic candidates supported the plight of the minority. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, the characters that they are, have still supported the needs of the black community, while Conservatives and the current administration do not support affirmative action, have dropped employment among blacks, and cut back health care and education programs that mainly affect minorities.
I resent the implication that minority Democrats are mindless straight-ticket voters just looking for the next candidate affiliated with the Democrats. Minority liberals vote for the same reasons that every person does - because they want to see someone that embodies their beliefs working for democracy. By vilifying the black liberals, black Conservatives do not endear themselves to the Conservative party; they just create more division in an already divided world.
Barrack Obama had it absolutely right when he endorsed John Kerry at the Democratic National Convention. Kerry, he said, "believes in the Constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties, nor use faith as a wedge to divide us." And forgive me if I sound ignorant, but isn't that what it's all about? Not who is conservative and who is liberal, but who has the interest of the American people at heart. Instead of keeping this country on the edge of its seat with scare tactics and "alerts" unite us. And when Kweisi Mfume pronounced on the stage at the DNC almost eight years ago that he now knew what it felt like to be "Bushwhacked" and "Ambushed," every liberal, black or white, stood up and applauded.
As for Julian Bond, he was presenting an accurate depiction of the Bush administration when he made his comments, and we are lucky to have him on this campus. Thus far, the lies and innuendo that have shrouded the war in Iraq should be enough to ruffle even the most fervent Conservatives regardless of their skin color. And while we're busy changing the name of the NAACP, why don't we take a look at its mission statement. The goal is to eradicate "racial discrimination through the democratic process." That would explain why Kweisi Mfume isn't hopping on the Bush campaign, because when was the last time a Conservative candidate made a concerted effort to reach out to the "blacks?" And as if it wasn't obvious enough, Bush refused to sit down with the NAACP and is the only President since Hoover to do so. Now, I wonder why he isn't getting the "black" vote.
Hillary Beulah is a junior in the School of Communication.
