Tag Archive for: black conservatives

When Will A Prominent Black Athlete Stand Up to the Mob?

The recent expressions of support for Black Lives Matter by professional athletes can be understood as a legitimate reaction to tragic episodes of injustice that occur in the United States. But everything beyond that noble sentiment is flawed.”Systemic racism,” to the extent it even exists, explains very little of black underachievement, and the Black Lives Matter organization offers absolutely nothing that will help the black community.

The reality for at least the last forty years in America is that Blacks are beneficiaries of programs – college admissions preferences, incentives for minority-owned businesses, quotas towards achieving proportional representation in corporate hiring and promotions, and subsidized housing, to name a few – designed to uplift them. These programs have been administered at a cost that by now probably amounts to trillions of dollars. If Black activists and the politicians who pander to them for votes truly think “reparations” are justified, reparations have already been tried and are ongoing. They’re not working. They may have actually done more harm than good.

Most every citation of “systemic racism” either references things that were ended several decades ago, or they are based on flawed statistical analysis. To the first point, slavery was eliminated in 1863. Segregation was abolished in 1965. Redlining was outlawed in 1968. And as noted, starting in the 1960s, incalculable sums have been spent on systemic benefits and preferences designed to help America’s Blacks. So much for institutionalized racism persisting in America. If anything, it’s the opposite, institutionalized anti-racism.

Statistics, however, at least at first glance, tell a very different story. Despite outlawing racist institutions and policies, and despite institutionalizing a comprehensive and extremely expensive assortment of preferences and policies and benefits designed to compensate for the historical legacy of racism, according to nearly every statistical metric, Blacks still lag behind Whites in group achievements.

Black Lives Matter activists, along with most liberals, point to disparities in Black achievement in academia and economically, as well as disparities relating to law enforcement, and claim this is proof of systemic racism. But a deeper look at the statistics does not justify this conclusion. Statistics relating to law enforcement, the ones that matter, are completely ignored by BLM and a sympathetic media, with tragic consequences.

The most prevalent, and very incendiary, statistic heard is that Black people are being disproportionately killed by police. If some of the politicians and pundits exploiting this supposed fact are to be believed, a genocidal slaughter is taking place. If the consequences of making these outrageous claims weren’t so tragic, they would be laughable. The statistic fails on every level.

As shown on the chart below, using data from the FBI, the Kaiser Foundation, and Statista Research Inc., in 2018 a total of 209 Blacks were killed by police, the overwhelming majority of them armed. This compares to 399 Whites killed by police in that year.

The first thing to understand is that in a nation of over 300 million, these are ridiculously small numbers, although that’s scant comfort to the people and communities affected. The root of the claim of a police war on Blacks comes down to this: If you’re Black, in 2018 you had a one in 190,000 chance of having a fatal encounter with police, and if you’re White, your chances of the same were only one in 495,000. Hence you will hear that Blacks are 2.5 times as likely to be killed by police as whites.

If that were all there was to it, perhaps there’d be a reason for more concern. But here are facts that cannot be ignored: Blacks commit more crimes. In terms of arrests, Blacks are twelve times as likely as Whites to be arrested for murder, three times as likely for rape, eleven times as likely for robbery, and four times as likely for aggravated assault.

This brings us back to the crux of the issue, which is whether police encounters with Blacks result in a disproportionate number of fatalities. If you look at the death rate per arrest rate, they do not. In 2018 (these statistics are fairly consistent from year to year) the chances of dying while being arrested were exactly the same for Whites and Blacks, a nearly infinitesimal one one-hundredth of one percent. 

Presenting these statistics is not meant to diminish the impact of police misconduct, or the necessity to reduce it as much as possible. But this brings up another sad but inevitable statistical reality. There are nearly 700,000 full-time law enforcement officers in the United States, along with roughly an additional million armed private security guards.

In groups of individuals this big, no matter how carefully screened and no matter how well trained they may be, some bad actors will exist. Similarly, when there are over 50 million individual encounters between police and citizens every year, a few of them will have an unforeseen, avoidable, tragic outcome. People are not universally good, and everyone is fallible. Just as we shall never perfect any other aspect of our society, because that is impossible, we shall never perfect the art of policing.

These are the truths that the BLM movement and all of its supporters ignore. Most know better. And there are many, many alternatives to the popular agenda being pushed – defunding the police, enforcing even stricter systems of racial preferences, paying reparations, and sliding further towards socialism.

How Professional Black Athletes Can Truly Help Their Communities

The personal qualities that enable athletes to play at the level of the NBA or NFL are not the qualities that define the rhetoric or the mentality of Black Lives Matter activists. Their entire premise, that Black people are victims, even if it is true, is unhealthy. Did LeBron James or Steph Curry become two of the best basketball players in history by thinking of themselves as victims?

A Black conservative who has explored this theme in-depth is nationally syndicated talk radio host Larry Elder. In a recent monologue, he asked why the work ethic that an athlete would apply to their sport cannot be applied equally to academics. “If you’re willing to spend two hours a day working on your jump shot,” he asks, “why aren’t you spending that much time working on algebra problems?”

This mentality: That individual resolve and self-discipline can overcome adversity, is something a professional athlete can explain with the credibility of their own accomplishments. This fact, that character can overcome disadvantages has been proven by other groups in America; Chinese, Indian, Jewish, and Nigerian immigrants all have success stories to tell; all of them have aggregate group achievement in academia and household income that surpass Whites.

As for changing the institutions that are harming the Black community, why aren’t athletes like LeBron James and Steph Curry taking an honest look at public education in the inner city? Why don’t they watch the closing arguments in the Vergara case, where Marcellus MacRae, a Black attorney, proves that work rules forced onto school districts by the teachers union have had a disproportionate negative impact on low income communities? Why don’t these athletes demand school choice? Why don’t they denounce the teachers union, which has monopolized and all but ruined public education, especially in the inner cities?

A final argument, considered the clincher, made by social justice advocates and members of BLM is that it is the low income status of Blacks that itself explains their high rates of crime, substance abuse, broken homes, and academic underachievement. This is a dubious assertion, contradicted by the successful upward mobility of so many other nonwhite communities. An exhaustive data analysis on the website Random Critical Analysis makes a convincing case that racial differences in group achievement are poorly explained by economics. But so what?

Staying sober, staying married, finding a job, studying diligently, obeying the law – these are all choices that people make, and priorities that communities choose to embrace or reject. Why aren’t Black athletes going into their own communities and challenging them all to make choices that will help them instead of hurt them? Why are they instead encouraging their brothers and sisters to consider themselves victims? What benefit do they see in placing blame for Black underachievement on Whites, when the basis of these accusations is not well supported by data, and the cure is worse than the disease?

LeBron James, Steph Curry, and all the rest of these athletic stars have real power and influence. They are paragons of physical strength and skill. But for them to have real courage, and offer genuine help to their communities, they should review the facts, tell the hard truths, and stand up to the mob.

This article originally appeared on the website American Greatness.

 *   *   *

Towards a Colorblind America

According to the latest woke wisdom, to be “colorblind” is actually a way to “uphold racism.” Writing for the esteemed publication Psychology Today, Monnica Williams, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor at the University of Ottawa, explains:

“Colorblindness is the racial ideology that posits the best way to end discrimination is by treating individuals as equally as possible, without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity. However, colorblindness alone is not sufficient to heal racial wounds on a national or personal level. It is only a half-measure that in the end operates as a form of racism.”

From expert psychologists to pop culture, the verdict is in. If you’re “colorblind,” you’re a racist. As Samantha Vincenty, a “white Latinx,” puts it in her article for The Oprah Magazine, “Being ‘Color Blind’ Doesn’t Make You Not Racist—In Fact, It Can Mean the Opposite.” Elaborating, she writes “Color blindness relies on the concept that race-based differences don’t matter, and ignores the realities of systemic racism.”

Judging from recent and not-so-recent events, however, America is in no imminent danger of becoming “colorblind.” In pursuit of racial justice, America’s institutions now boast a fifty year legacy of preferential treatment for “people of color” in literally every significant facet of society. Affirmative action policies, either explicit or defacto, govern university admissions and faculty hiring. Similar policies are in place across corporate America, enforcing racial quotas in hiring and promotions. In applications for government loans and government contracts, minority owned businesses always get preferential treatment.

And then of course there is the legacy of the “War on Poverty,” an entire ecosystem of entitlements designed to elevate the less fortunate, certainly including, even emphasizing, America’s “people of color.” Programs such as Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (food stamps), subsidized housing, public housing, housing vouchers, Supplemental Security Income, welfare, the Earned Income Tax Credit, Head Start, Pell Grants, and much, much more.

Trillions have been spent on these programs, but according to the woke, from Black Lives Matter to the Biden campaign, trillions more need to be spent. Free college. A “right to shelter” (free housing), guaranteed basic income, and, fundamental to achieving true racial justice, reparations for slavery.

At this point it is necessary to declare, openly and unequivocally, that for a white American to have an opinion on issues impacting black Americans is not only a right, it is an obligation. But you wouldn’t know that according to the “woke.” For them, a conscientious anti-racist white American “ally” must “stop talking, start listening.” They must “listen and learn.” They must “shut up and listen.” If you want to be a “good white ally,” then you must “listen more than you speak.”

There’s nothing wrong with listening, but it’s time for white people – especially those who already recognize where the “woke” agenda is leading – to speak out as well. It is time for white people to speak out directly to the black community, and challenge some of the fundamental premises of the leftist narrative that dominates the black community.

The reason for this should be obvious: Black voters have been nearly monolithic in their support of Democratic candidates and causes. This November, the black voting bloc is going to determine the outcome of one of the most consequential elections in American history. And it isn’t just this election, it’s all of them.

For decades, the Democratic party has owned the black vote. The entire time, they’ve successfully tagged Republicans as racist, and cast themselves as the only hope for the black American. Their tactics are exploitative and infantile. It’s astonishing they work, but apparently they do. Joe Biden: “If ya’ll don’t vote for me, you ain’t black!” Joe, are you kidding? This ploy works?

Nobody disputes the fact that black Americans have, on average, less income, less household wealth, and less education than whites. Nor does anyone dispute that black Americans are convicted of crimes and incarcerated at higher rates than whites. But it’s time to stop blaming all of this on racism.

Ordinary black voters, not the careerists in academia and politics who get rich saying it, but ordinary folks, ought to question why leveling the “racism” accusation in America today requires more and more creativity. Whites aren’t overt racists anymore. Everybody knows that. So now they have to be “unconscious racists.” They have to commit “systemic racism,” since otherwise, apparently, there would be no disparity whatsoever between white achievements and black achievements.

Does anybody really believe this? And if so, is it merely because not enough whites, or blacks, are stepping up and telling an alternative narrative? It would go something like this:

If you want to close the academic achievement gap, then get rid of the teachers unions and implement school choice. If you want to reduce incidents of police brutality, then get rid of the police unions, or at the least, make it impossible for them to continue protecting bad cops. If you want your children to stop ending up in prison, then stay married so they can grow up with a male and female role model in the home.

You can start right there. Because if you don’t, all the trillions in the world will not uplift your communities. That is the hard truth.

There are plenty of leaders in the black community who are trying to spread this message. With apologies to the thousands of black leaders not included, here’s a very short list of these heroes:

Justin WilsonAntonia OkaforCandace OwensDr. Carol SwainChandler CrumpCJ PearsonAnthony Brian LoganDavid J Harris Jr.Lynnett Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson (Diamond and Silk), Jesse Lee PetersonKingFaceLarry ElderMike NificentAllen WestPastor Mark BurnsPatricia DicksonHorace Cooper (Project 21), Shekinah GeistStacy DashStar ParkerTerrence K WilliamsTaleed BrownKeith Hodge and Kevin HodgeBrandon TatumWill JohnsonWayne DupreeJon MillerJamarcus Dove-SimmonsDerrick BlackmanMind of JamalJermain BotsioJay McCaney, Joel Patrick, Bryson Gray, Peggy HubbardWalter WilliamsThomas SowellGlenn C. Loury, and Ward Connerly.

Black voters need to realize that the organizations that have emerged in the past few years to protest on their behalf, such as Black Lives Matter, are ran by Marxists and are funded by leftist, white, billionaires. Black voters need to imagine what life is going to be like in the world these movements envision.

Is it going to help the black community in America if small businesses are crushed, if the price of basic essentials is higher than ever, if the only way to survive is via government subsidies, if private property and business ownership becomes something only available to the politically connected and the super rich?

Is it going to help the black community if instead of learning the tough basics of math and English, students indoctrinated to become politically correct, to become resentful and race conscious in everything they see and do?

Do black voters understand that the only way to enforce equal outcomes and equal achievements by race is through a socialist tyranny that would permeate every facet of our economy and society? Do black voters recognize that socialism has never delivered freedom or prosperity, anywhere, anytime, throughout human history?

Conscientious white Americans, in their laudable desire to be allies with black Americans, cannot hope to do long-term good merely by sharing their wealth. They must also assert the values that created that wealth. The leftists that are manipulating the Black Lives Movement stigmatize core elements of Western Civilization and the American experience – capitalism, meritocracy, Christianity, cultural assimilation, and the nuclear family – as inherently racist and oppressive.

This leftist version of America’s character is inaccurate and unhealthy. It is a sick, nihilistic lie. If black voters are not convinced to reject this lie, they will elect increasingly extreme leftist politicians who will destroy America, and with it, opportunities for everyone, white and black. The lie must be challenged without reservations, equivocation or apology. It must be challenged ceaselessly and persuasively, without rancor but with passion, with white and black conservatives speaking as one.

The American way, to reward personal initiative, to respect private property, to strive for limited government, cannot guarantee that all identifiable ethnic groups will achieve equality in average individual achievements. But in pursuit of greater equality in outcomes, it is idiocy to abandon the ideal of a colorblind society.

Being colorblind does not “uphold racism.” It is the only way to eliminate racism.

This article originally appeared on the website American Greatness.

 *   *   *

Black Conservatives in America

Mainstream liberal Democrats and their allies in the media have made clear that “demographics is destiny,” and that destiny favors Democrats. It’s easy enough to see why they believe this: nonwhites constituted 15 percent of the population in 1960, by 2050 that will have risen to 53 percent, and nonwhites vote overwhelmingly for Democrats.

The answer mainstream conservatives have to this challenge is to try harder. Convince nonwhites to vote for conservative candidates, even if that means giving up all the entitlements that Democrats have used for decades to purchase votes and create dependency. It’s a tough sell.

Not-so-mainstream conservatives are as likely to give up as to try harder. Consider this comment made in rebuttal to a recent article “Race and Realignment in the Anglosphere” which had made the case for trying harder:

“More pandering, compromise and continual hope that the invaders, who are relentlessly beating us politically, will suddenly draw back and change orientations is foolish. It is just more of the same old “conservative” born-to-lose mentality, no matter how nicely presented. We already know the result of the experiment you suggest, we lose everything, America becomes Brazil, and the multi-generational white majority, ‘Americans’ as we think of ourselves, we will become a minority, in our only nation. And a targeted and hated one, at that… Let’s start seriously talking about the separation.”

The problem with this comment, however well argued, is that it argues for something even more impossible. There will be no CalExit, there will be no sovereign American Redoubt, there will be no independent Atzlan. Because other than via a cataclysmic collapse that nobody should wish for, the United States is not going to split up. And even if separation is Plan B, shouldn’t Plan A – a massive nationalist political realignment – first be given a fighting chance?

So we’re back to trying harder to persuade. And the game is different this time. Different from the days of Bush, Romney, and McCain. The game is different because Donald Trump has smashed down the door of political correctness, and because social media, however censored, offers a powerful new platform for dissidents, and because there are “nonwhites” out there who are all in for President Trump and the revolution he’s started.

Black Conservatives in America

The conversations that nationalist conservative Americans need to have is with the men and women of color who support the president, love this country, stand up for the 1st and 2nd amendments, want to reform entitlements, are offended by affirmative action and quotas, want to stop importing welfare recipients, want to stop exporting jobs, and have zero, zero, interest in being politically correct.

Four of America’s most interesting new black conservatives recently joined forces to deliver a one hour political discussion in support of President Trump’s actions in Iraq. Regardless of your position on Iraq in particular, or foreign policy in general, watch this video. Get to know these men. Ask yourself: Are these men genuine American patriots? Are these men equally frustrated by the destructive policies of liberal democrats? The answer will be obvious.

Hosted by Will Johnson on his Facebook page, also appearing on the video are Jay McCaney, Jermain Botsio, and, probably best known of the four but only known by his public name, Mind of Jamal. The discussion started with Mind of Jamal launching into a sarcastic takedown of his supposed obligation to employ politically correct terms. Anyone who still cringes when feeling like they have no choice but to say “people of color” will appreciate Mind of Jamal’s digressions on that topic.

Here is just a sampling of what is blistering, dead-on accurate conservative commentary:

“President Trump has tried to keep us out of war from day one.”

“The Democrats have not demonstrated anything to show they care about the American people. It is not parody to say that Democrats hate the American people. They hate Donald Trump because Donald Trump is standing in the way of them to hate America.”

“What have Democrats ever done for Chicago, Atlanta? If you think the Socialist Communist party is going to do anything to help America you are out of your mind.”

“With this last air strike, you would think the Democrats would be on our side, but they are showing solidarity for the Iranians. People have to understand that these Democrats don’t care about America and Americans, they only care about power and they want to foment division. You see ABC and CNN and the rest of these fake news acts crying over Soleimani.”

“President Trump is telling the truth as it is.”

“Democrats are pathetic. Whatever makes Iran feel good is what they want. You have news media fawning over this man who was a terrorist. The media is doing everything they can to cover for Obama’s failed policies. Obama is the reason why the Iranian’s ballistic missile programs got better, the reason they armed more terror and militia groups, it should never have happened but Obama released $1.5 billion dollars to Iran.”

After a brief discussion of Iran, the four went after Ilhan Omar, playing various clips of her public remarks:

“Instead of worrying about Iran she should be worried about her failed marriage to her brother. She is like a sleeper cell in America. She doesn’t care about Americans or America.

“She is being investigated for campaign fraud and illegal entry into the U.S. Ilhan Omar is the logical conclusion of where the Democrat party has come. They want to control free speech, they want you to think the way they want you to think and if not they’re going to make you pay.”

“Here’s the thing about Omar, if she was in some Muslim country she would have been stoned a long time ago. She hides behind her race, she hides behind her gender, and she hides behind her religion.”

“Notice you don’t see these radicals in any of the Islamic states. You don’t see a Christian feminist in Muslim countries, but we always see it in Western governments.

“We are dealing with people have 17th century thinking, whoever has the biggest dick rules the fort. They they think it’s funny what we do. We give them money, we give them aid, and what we get back is ‘Death to America’ so people need to understand we were already in this position whether Trump decided to retaliate or not.”

Anyone who doesn’t think that nonwhites can share exactly the same conservative values as whites needs to listen through this entire video. They will encounter humor and ribaldry, side by side with insights and arguments that are in close alignment with those of most staunch conservatives. If you could read a transcript instead of watching and listening, apart from the obvious self referential comments, you would not know the color of the participants. You might even wonder how they could say some of the “insensitive” things they’re saying, even as you’re applauding its accuracy.

And by the way, pick any four influential, black, liberal Americans – including Barack Obama, along with the usual war horses such as Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson – and put them on a debating panel on a neutral stage with these four fearless black conservatives. Put it on national television. Liberal lies would be destroyed by conservative truth, and to the black constituencies who vote Democrat, the liberal scam would finally be fully exposed and erased.

Which begs the question: Why aren’t more people hearing these men? Why aren’t they getting press? Why aren’t they going viral? Part of the reason is suppression by big tech. Mind of Jamal was kicked off of Twitter, and as usual, without explanation. “Twitter suspends accounts which violate the Twitter Rules.”

Encouraging the Black Conservative Movement

Along with speaking the unvarnished truth, these four black conservatives are bold and aggressive. They are not politically correct, they are not pandering to liberal sensitivities, they are stepping on toes. And this is what is different in this era. Conservatives aren’t afraid anymore. They aren’t pussy footing around like Mitt Romney, trying to see which way the wind blows, looking over their shoulders to see if they’ve offended their libertarian donors or the socialist reporters who write about them.

They don’t care what people think. And that makes them immensely attractive. This new breed of conservatives, especially when they come out of the black community, can be the vanguard of a movement to unite the right that will be truly color blind, and more powerful and unifying than anything this nation has ever seen.

When it comes to black conservatives, courage is not in short supply, only media coverage. Witness the remarks Candace Owens made at a U.S. House hearing on “white nationalism.” Owens condemns the Democrats for their unwarranted racist demagoguery and she condemns the media for their despicable double standards. Owens, along with a host of other black conservatives, are ongoing victims of liberal “anti-fascist” hate crimes, unreported by the media and ignored if not condoned by liberal Democrats.

There are black conservatives such as Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell, Ward Connerly and others who have fought for decades for conservative values. They are now joined by a rising group of young conservatives online who will push through and transform the black community. But they need the support of everyone on the right, because they’re not going to get it from anywhere else. Not Google, not Twitter or Facebook, not the mainstream media, nor the Democratic establishment or academia, nor the woke corporate multinationals who are terrified by resurgent nationalism in America.

Let this be a challenge to every member of the marginalized right and even the far right. You have reasons to be angry, you have cause to be bitter. The Left is trying to destroy your nation, your heritage, your way of life, and for decades they have logged one victory after another. But consider who your friends are.

To those whites on the right who have already been silenced or suppressed, but not before acquiring hundreds of thousands of online followers – Vincent James, Lana Lokteff, James Allsup, and many others – have a look at these black conservatives. They share your outrage, your insouciance, your courage, your integrity, your patriotism. Put aside pointless anger; find the best in each other. They are on your side. Talk to them. Make friends with them.

Imagine a nation where they not only join you and help you in the fight to take America back from the Left, but change the minds of their people.

Here are links to more black conservatives, showing how to find them:

Justin Wilson, Antonia Okafor, Candace Owens, Dr. Carol Swain, Chandler Crump, CJ Pearson, Anthony Brian Logan, David J Harris Jr., Lynnett Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson (Diamond and Silk), Jesse Lee Peterson, KingFace, Larry Elder, Mike Nificent, Allen West, Pastor Mark Burns, Patricia Dickson, Horace Cooper (Project 21), Shekinah Geist, Stacy Dash, Star Parker, Terrence K Williams, Taleed Brown, Keith Hodge and Kevin Hodge, Brandon Tatum, Will Johnson, Wayne Dupree, Jon Miller, Jamarcus Dove-Simmons, Derrick Blackman, Joy Villa, Mind of Jamal, Jermain Botsio, Jay McCaney.

Ideology is color blind. Patriotism is color blind. Faith is color blind. As Benjamin Franklin once said, we must hang together, or surely we shall hang separately.

This article originally appeared on the website American Greatness.

 *   *   *