“I am a Republican, a black, dyed in the wool Republican, and I never intend to belong to any other party than the party of freedom and progress. ” —Frederick Douglass (1818-1895)
Today conservatives, Republicans and tea partiers are blatantly branded as racists. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the Frederick Douglass Republicans want to cut through these racist charges and fast forward to the issues at hand: limited government, fiscal restraint and constitutionality.
The racist labels are something the 40 African-American Frederick Douglass Republicans running for Congress – the most ever since Reconstruction – aim to change. Unfortunately, only 15 of these candidates remain after the primaries, and they need financial help.
Frederick Douglass was a former slave, an American social reformer, orator, writer, advisor to President Abraham Lincoln and statesman, serving as a U.S. senator. Douglass wrote several autobiographies, eloquently describing his life as a slave and his struggles to be free. His classic autobiography, “Life and Times of Frederick Douglass” is one of the most well-known accounts of American slavery. Author James Oakes considers Douglass the leading African-American of the 19th Century. Not many even know about Douglass, however.
In David Barton’s book “Setting the Record Straight: American History in Black & White,” he identifies historical events largely removed from our children’s history books that give the complete story of how the Democrats used race to cripple African-Americans in the United States.
He recounts how history has been rewritten and altered to portray this country’s black history – one so rich with black patriots, who fought, died, and participated in the political life of this country. It’s a pity many of us will have to go back and study this rich history since it’s been excluded from our curriculum.
For example, how many readers are aware of the fact that 16 African-American men served in the U.S. Congress during the Reconstruction period, many also serving as members of the state conventions by which the 14th Amendment was ratified? [url=http://www1.law.nyu.edu/davisp/neglectedvoices/index2.html]http://www1.law.nyu.edu/davisp/neglectedvoices/index2.html[/url], Neglected Voices
Retired U.S. Army officer Keith Carl Smith, of Alabama, inspired a new movement among conservative African Americans. “I’m not a black conservative. I am a Frederick Douglass Republican,” Smith told Christian Broadcasting News.
The Frederick Douglass Foundation was officially started in 2007 to identify, inspire and assist black candidates in running for office. There has never been a black female Republican elected to the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate. And no black Republican has served in Congress since the retirement of the Honorable J.C. Watts from Oklahoma in 2003.
Here are the Frederick Douglass Republican candidates running for U.S. Congress. Pick which ones you can help as soon as you can. Their Web sites are located here:
frederickdouglassfoundation.com/
Star Parker (Calif.-37); Ryan Frazier (Colo.-7); Allen West (Fla.-22); Isaac Hayes (Ill.-2); Marvin Scott (Ind.-7); Robert Broadus (Md.-4); Charles Lollar (Md.-5); Bill Marcy (Miss.-2); Michael Faulkner (N.Y.-15); Bill Randall (N.C.-13); Tim Scott (S.C.-1); Charlotte Bergman (Tenn.-9); Stephen Broden (Texas-30); Chuck Smith (Va.-3); and Vince Danet (Vt. Delegate).
Retired Army LTC West has made a name for himself with his knowledge of history, military operations and articulate and emphatic presentations against the “share the wealth” mandate in Washington.
Star Parker is probably the most recognized Frederick Douglass Republican candidate on the list. A former welfare mom for seven years, she had an epiphany, went back to school, obtained a degree in business and was determined to seek free-market solutions to improve her financial circumstances.
Parker cites the War on Poverty program of the 60s for its irresponsible messages which continue to this day to feed the entitlement mentality, undermining job seeking and facilitating the burgeoning deficit.
“The lie of the Left has crumbled our communities and abandoned us and our children. We must attract businesses and jobs and rebuild toward prosperity.”
– Star Parker
Carmen Reynolds, Lt Col (Ret), USAF is an investigative journalist, copy editor and researcher. Carmen can be reached at: journalist@bellsouth.net
