Fear of a Black Republican
by Kam Williams
DVD Asks: Does the GOP Even Want the Black Vote?
Have you ever noticed how few African-American Republicans there are?
At any Grand Old Party gathering you see on TV, there are generally so
few blacks in attendance that they tend to stand out like a sore thumb.
That sorry state of affairs inspired Tavis Smiley to remark
that “You can fit all the black Republicans with any clout into a phone
booth.” And they’re probably also about as hard to find as a phone booth
is nowadays.
This phenomenon was not lost on Kevin Williams, a white
Republican from Trenton, New Jersey, who felt frustrated by the fact
that the Democrats had a stranglehold on all the political positions in
his predominantly African-American hometown. So, as a filmmaker, he
decided to shoot a documentary getting to the bottom of why blacks
aren’t represented in the Republican Party.
Is it that the GOP would prefer to remain lily-white or are
African-Americans simply short-changing themselves by remaining so loyal
to the Democratic Party? That fundamental question rests at the heart of
Fear of a Black Republican, an eye-opening expose’
supplying a variety of intriguing answers.
In order to unravel the mystery, Williams approached some of the
black Republicans crammed into the aforementioned phone booth, from
recently-deposed RNC Chairman Michael Steele to former U.S.
Senator from Massachusetts Ed Brooke who warns of “corruption
where there’s no two-party system.” Yes, there’s that danger in
districts where a Democratic nomination assures a candidate of victory.
Still, there’s probably truth to Tavis’ suggestion that once the
Republican Party figured out that it could win national and statewide
elections without blacks “then the needs of that constituency never rose
to the top of its agenda.”
Among the other pundits weighing-in here are Princeton Professor
Dr. Cornel West, right-wing journalists Michelle Malkin and
Ann Coulter, and possible Presidential candidates Mitt Romney
and Mike Huckabee. Yet, the most meaningful interviews are with
rank and file black Republicans, average folks who make heartfelt
pitches for their fellow African-Americans to abandon the Democrat Party
which they indict for taking the black vote for granted.
Whether it’s up to white Republicans or jaded black Democrats looking
for an alternative to make the first overture, Fear of a Black
Republican might serve as a great conversation breaker to
encourage both camps to bury the hatchet and to give each other serious
consideration as a viable political partner. However, I wouldn’t hold my
breath waiting for the GOP to reflect the all-inclusive rainbow the
Party envisioned during more enlightened times when Abraham Lincoln
freed the slaves and a plethora of black Republican candidates ran
successful campaign for political office.
Unrated
Running time: 111 Minutes
Studio: Shamrock Stine Productions
To see a trailer for Fear of a Black Republican, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P1jC1h9LCM
To order a copy of Fear of a Black Republican on DVD, visit:
http://www.fearofablackrepublican.com/shopping-cart-2
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Lloyd
Kam Williams 