During an interview with the late legendary entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., the question asked was about him being seen as Frank Sinatra’s mascot. Sammy Davis’ admitted he was but that nobody made him do it; he made himself a mascot.
Despite his endorsement of President Richard Nixon, Mr. Davis was not a diehard conservative or Republican. Nonetheless, it raises the question about what motivates a person with the talent and intelligence of a Sammy Davis Jr. to allow themselves to become mascots or political tools. At the age of 54, Davis said, “I love Sinatra. I love the man. At one time in my life, I was his little mascot, but I’m not his little mascot anymore.”
Fast forward to today and ask what would motivate an African American businessman to respond to the Trump shoutout, “Look at my African American over here,” with “here I am.” Gregory Cheadle put himself in that position on that day in 2016 at a Donald Trump rally.
Since that time, Mr. Cheadle has left the Republican Party and, during an interview on CNN, stated, “I’m just sick and tired of the way blacks and other people of color have been treated by this administration and by the GOP.” Many African Americans would ask, what took you so long to become aware of that?
The legitimacy of black conservatives has always been a source of tension in the black community. It may be that conservatism itself is not the problem, but rather it’s association with the GOP and perceived hostility towards African Americans. Many believe that black conservatives have allowed themselves to become mascots of white supremacy in addition to being consumed with attacking black political orthodoxy rather than presenting alternatives to deal with issues of concern to the black community.
Conservatism is a legitimate ideology and should have a place in African American discourse. However, for many African Americans, conservatism is politically and socially aligned with the extreme right, white supremacy, and nothing has changed that perception. Conservative icons such as William F. Buckley Jr. are remembered for their hostility towards civil rights and Martin Luther King Jr.
There is no doubt the perception of black conservatives has worsened because of the election of Donald Trump. Even a defection from the administration does not improve their perception. Despite the White House’s departure and subsequent tell-all book by Omarosa Manigault, it did not endear her to the black community. Robin Roberts’s response to her leaving was “bye Felicia.”
Except for people like Glenn Loury (who has left the conservative movement), few black conservatives have made attempts to change the perception of themselves nor seek to engage the African American community in honest dialogue. Individuals such as Diamond and Silk, Paris Denard, Rev. Darrell Scott, Mayra Joli (who has been dubbed the nodding lady because of her constant nodding at the recent Donald Trump NBC Townhall meeting) come across as comedic figures rather than serious thinkers about essential issues. Unfortunately, it seems these individuals and others are used to alleviate white guilt, not black recruitment.
Entertainers such as Kanye West, who is running for President to siphon off votes from Joe Biden, has lost a lot of his reputation since his embrace of President Trump. NWA founder Ice Cube is now in damage control mode since the White House leaked the meeting between him and Jared Kushner.
The recent display of African American speakers during the last Republican national convention was an example of the failure to take advantage of an opportunity to talk to the broader African-American community instead of engaging in a self-delusional sense of how they have been set free by being a Republican.
It is interesting to note that conservative white politicians know how to play black people. On April 2, 1970, H.R. Haldeman said that President Nixon “broods frequently over problem of how we communicate with young and blacks. It’s really not possible except with Uncle Toms, and we should work on them and forget militants.”
In an attempt to appeal to young black voters at Morgan State, Senator Rand Paul asked the audience whether they knew Abraham Lincoln was a republican. The response was laughter and ridicule.
Unfortunately, black conservatives’ agenda seems to be contrarian and hostile towards the black community in addition to being apologists for white supremacy and racist policies.
Recall the comments of the late Herman Cain when he ran for the Republican presidential nomination. Cain said African Americans have been “brainwashed into not being open minded not even considering a conservative point of view” One would have to question whether he was appealing to black Americans or trying to appease the white establishment.
Perhaps the reason for the actions of many black conservatives is what Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in his seminal book Democracy in America “Violence made him a slave, and the habit of servitude gives him the thoughts and desires of a slave; he admires his tyrants more than he hates them, and finds his joy and his pride in the servile imitation of those who oppress him: his understanding is degraded to the level of his soul.”
The reality is that the black community has traditionally exhibited conservative tendencies given its affinity with religious institutions and would consider conservative ideals if the adherents would express a form of respect towards the black community. Until this happens, black conservatism, with its present alignment with the GOP, will never be readily accepted nor given a fair hearing, nor frankly should it.
The African American community (which used to support the GOP) is not deluded by the Democratic Party. Nevertheless, it recognizes that the Democratic Party is more in line with its values and political positions than the GOP at this point in history.
Whether between Booker T. Washington and WEB Du Bois or Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, there has always been tension between ideologies within the black community. However, the difference is that they had deep roots and a strong desire to improve their community’s plight. Today’s Black conservatives seem to be intent on improving their own plight and to seek white acceptance.
The African American community also finds it difficult to accept the constant downplaying of systematic racism by some Black Conservatives. Witness the recent Bill Mahr segment with Bakari Sellers and City Journal conservative writer Coleman Hughes concerning the Breana Taylor murder. Mr. Hughes raised the example of the black Alabama police officer who shot a white citizen and not being charged as a reason that the murder of Breona Taylor was not a racist act. That is like saying that because black officers in South Africa, during the days of apartheid, committed atrocities, racism was not a part of that system. Racism is not the reason for every negative aspect. Nonetheless, after 400 years of slavery, decades of Jim Crow, redlining, lynching, segregation, voter suppression, the idea that racism has been eradicated from the DNA of American life is a sign of mental retardation or extreme stupidity. Too often, black conservatives adopt the white conservative community’s language and metaphors, which renders them highly suspicious in the general African-American population. If you ask a black conservative about the Black Lives Matter movement, they will respond by talking about riots. Even more egregious is that many of those same conservatives will not acknowledge that whatever success they may have was made possible by the blood, sweat and tears shed by the civil rights movement.
There is no doubt there are black conservatives such as Michael Steele and Shermichael Singleton, will take a more nuanced approach in appealing to the black community. Former Oklahoma Congressman JC. Watts, who learned the hard way of what it means to be black in the republican party, has a better understanding of what it means to reach the black community. “Republicans like to see black people through the prism of Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton. I talk to Jesse from time to time. I talk to Al from time to time. And you know, there’s a side of me that makes me thankful for those guys being out there agitating. Because if they were not out there agitating, think of where it might be? I think that there’s a side of what they do that holds systems accountable. Now do I think they abuse the system from time to time? Yes, I do. Do I think they cross the line from time to time? Yes, I do. But still, I think there is a place for them and thank God for them.”
Perhaps the problem with conservatism gaining traction within the black community is not the ideology itself but the black faces sent out to proclaim its value.