Strangers in the Land

With the election and subsequent inauguration (or coronation, depending on who you ask) of Barack Obama as the 44^th President of this nation, every person of color will be tempted if not motivated to feel an overwhelming sense of pride concerning this accomplishment. Yet for some, like black conservatives, the ascension of President-elect Obama generates a degree of uncomfortable conflict between ethnic pride and personal life principles.

Most black conservatives adhere to principles rejected by the President-elect as valid tools for governing this great nation. Ideas like smaller government, traditional family values or structure, economic freedom and educational choice are not the tenets of the Democrat Party, represented now by the incoming president. This leaves black conservatives in somewhat of a quandary. On the one hand, black conservatives remain proud that a person of color, who identifies himself as a black man, is the next President of the United States. While conversely, true black conservatives remain ideologically opposed to most of which President-elect Obama so vehemently supports.

Personally, when I think of this circumstance, it reminds me of the great Christian hymn "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah", which reveals that we are "pilgrims" in a "barren land". For many like me, the shift of this country toward more government, less individual freedom and less responsibility, leaves a feeling of disconnect from that which makes this country great. Furthermore, to add insult to injury, black conservatives are often subject to the cruelest forms of ridicule amongst our own. In the minds of most black democrats, any black conservative who votes Republican is crazy, an "Uncle Tom", "house Negro" or a combination of these and other descriptively derogatory terminology.

Many times, for the black conservative, family gatherings tend to be sessions filled with constant defense of their beliefs and values. Our parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles all want to know "what happened to you?" Did someone drop you on your head or did you actually choose to be "like that"? What should be a time of social enjoyment often leaves the black conservative feeling more disconnected than ever, especially true in this historic election cycle.

In addition to the conundrum of being alone amongst family and our own ethnic group, black conservatives, face the real possibility of marginalization by the political party of their choice. The GOP appears disengaged from the black voting populace, including, to varying degrees, black republicans. The evidence of this is the continued unheeded cry of black conservatives to GOP leadership for real efforts of connection toward the black community and not the simple lip service about being the "party of Lincoln". In the words of one of my good friends, "most black folk do not care about the record of the GOP in 1863; they want to know why they should vote for Republicans today". Perhaps if Lincoln were a candidate, perhaps his record would be more relevant to an ever-increasing populace unaffected by the major tenets of Untied States history.

The truth is that most black people fall prey to the incredulous Democratic PR machine. By electing blacks, Democrats are consistently able to support claims that they favor the minority cause in America. In spite of the fact that when pressed, many black voters, in reality, do not support the positions of the party for which they cast their vote. Of course, there exist exceptions, such as the labor unions to which blacks belong. They tend to support Democrats because of wage issues.

Where then does the black conservative turn? With little empathy from blacks, and largely ignored as a viable constituency by the GOP, black conservatives are psychologically alienated and may feel like "strangers in this land". The solution is that black conservatives must come together across America, building a network and constituency that becomes a force with which to reckon. From raising capital to help elect black conservatives, which places an authoritative face on being black and conservative, to the mundane but necessary task of spreading the message among black Democrats that any vote outside of their interests is a wasted vote.

Black conservative movement organizations like Republicans for Black Empowerment, National Black Republican Association and the new Move-on-up.org are catalysts for shepherding the process from fringe interest to real constituency within the conservative brand. I support a National Summit of these organizations and their leaders to demonstrate unity of purpose and goals in charting the course for black conservatives now and beyond.

While black conservatives remain a diverse group, far from being monolithic within the conservative ideology, there still exists much room for agreement and unified action within the GOP. As black conservatives, now is the time for us to take a page from the President-elect's playbook and convey a message of "Yes We Can", regarding our impact within the Republican Party and Conservative movement. The children of Israel hung up their harps and refuse to sing the Lord's song "in a strange land"; black conservatives cannot afford to do so.