Don Roach: Black People are Getting Lost in the American Shuffle
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
I would be remiss to allow the next couple of weeks to pass without mentioning Black History Month. Last year, I wrote a about what it means to be black in the 21st century. I talked about the challenges facing a freed people who until the 1960s weren’t truly free despite the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Back then I was willing to trade pre-1960s collective soul for 21st century freedoms and I still am.
However, whenever I think of the collective political efficacy of black people today I cringe at the thought that most political commentators assume we are all addicted to Democrats just like the world (me included) has become addicted to making up words that begin with ‘Lin’. Linfection! Linsanity! Linpossible! Ok…I’m digressing a bit.
Don’t get me wrong there’s power in groupthink, but black people have become afterthoughts in politics. From a minority perspective, the main focus is on the emergence of Latinos and Latinos are not encumbered by an American slave history. Many are 1st,2nd, or 3rd generation immigrants who came here to make a better life for themselves not because they were forcibly extricated from their homes. I’m generalizing here but I believe the difference enables Latinos – despite what many media types try to do – to effectively be…well…different. And that difference breeds power.
By different I mean, Latinos do not all think the same nor can they all be placed in the same box as black people have been. While Latinos share many things in common you are likely to see as many Latinos supporting Democrats as Republicans. Maybe it’s not 50/50 but it’s certainly not 95/5. Black people have not been able to make the leap into that realm and it’s to our demise. For many years we had to rely on one another, stick together, and work together just to survive.
Can’t Just be Democrats
Today, I don’t long for equality – for the most part we’ve gotten to the Promised Land (hello, President Obama). Instead, I desire a new world where whenever someone looks at me they don’t see Democrat. I long for a world where the Democrats don’t think to themselves ‘It’s all right. We got the black vote sewn up, no need to address their needs they’ll never vote Republican.’ I want candidates to have to work for our votes and not take us for granted.
We’re also no longer the most populous minority in the country either. We aren’t going the way of the dinosaur but an adherence to one political party is, for us, political suicide. We’ll continue to be marginalized and taken for granted if we don’t break the addiction to Democrats.
I’d like for people like me who have made the public leap away from the Democratic Party to be more the norm and not the exception. I want conversations about the Republican Party and racism to end. Are you telling me a Democrat can’t be racist and a Republican is always? If you believe that please vote for me as I make my run for Congress and I had absolutely nothing to do with the financial crisis facing Providence today even though I was mayor for eight years. Oh, wait…
I won’t take up much more of your time but only want to say it all boils down to this: I’m jealous. I’m jealous of Latinos who have been able to carve out a political brand that ensures both Democrats and Republicans must take them seriously. I’m jealous of white people who can fall anywhere along the political spectrum without their race coming up in conversation. And I’m not highly encouraged today’s black leadership is capable of stewarding us away from the Democratic trough. And I’m even more afraid of what that means for our political future.
And on that note…
Happy Black History Month!
Don Roach is a proud member of the RI Young Republicans. He’s also a husband, father, and wannabe poker player. He can be reached at [email protected]
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