Students Struggle At Being Young, Black Republicans
JADA SMITH
2/12/08
Nation & World
Nation & World
Black Republicans, one of the many issues on the list of social taboos within the black community, can be cause for negative attention for African Americans with conservative views.
The Howard University College Republicans, one of the two student political parties on campus, is struggling to stay afloat due to a lack of members, which is reflective of the national percentage of blacks who vote Republican in the national elections - under 15 percent.
The question as to why there are so few black Republicans involved both on campus and on the national front in politics may be raised.
Michael Varner, president of the Howard University College Republicans, said the answer is simple: it is a cycle that has been ingrained in the minds of African Americans from birth.
"People have been raised this way," Varner said. "Because your parents are in the Democratic Party, you're in the Democratic Party. Blacks have been socialized that way. And if you're not Democratic, then you better be Independent. We [Republicans] run into problems and conflicts all the time…it's tough."
He continued, "Just about everybody in school knows that I'm a Republican and people acknowledge me as a Republican negatively all the time."
The Howard University College Republicans stand behind three tenants that drive their organization: political diversity, intellectual discussion and democracy, which line up with the goals of the National Black Republican Association (NBRA).
The NBRA's goal is to return blacks to the party they originally aligned themselves with and to inform them on how black Republicans are fighting for advancement.
One of the main points that Varner tries to stress about the Republican Party and his organization is political unity.
"We want to focus less on registering people as Republicans," he said. "We want to redefine unity. It's not healthy for one group to just do all one thing. We want to try to create a diverse student body."
The Howard University College Republicans, one of the two student political parties on campus, is struggling to stay afloat due to a lack of members, which is reflective of the national percentage of blacks who vote Republican in the national elections - under 15 percent.
The question as to why there are so few black Republicans involved both on campus and on the national front in politics may be raised.
Michael Varner, president of the Howard University College Republicans, said the answer is simple: it is a cycle that has been ingrained in the minds of African Americans from birth.
"People have been raised this way," Varner said. "Because your parents are in the Democratic Party, you're in the Democratic Party. Blacks have been socialized that way. And if you're not Democratic, then you better be Independent. We [Republicans] run into problems and conflicts all the time…it's tough."
He continued, "Just about everybody in school knows that I'm a Republican and people acknowledge me as a Republican negatively all the time."
The Howard University College Republicans stand behind three tenants that drive their organization: political diversity, intellectual discussion and democracy, which line up with the goals of the National Black Republican Association (NBRA).
The NBRA's goal is to return blacks to the party they originally aligned themselves with and to inform them on how black Republicans are fighting for advancement.
One of the main points that Varner tries to stress about the Republican Party and his organization is political unity.
"We want to focus less on registering people as Republicans," he said. "We want to redefine unity. It's not healthy for one group to just do all one thing. We want to try to create a diverse student body."
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Brian Thomas
posted 6/05/08 @ 2:51 PM EST
I attended Howard and there were many students in the closet about their conservatism. The browbeating, the derisive comments, and the negative treatments dissuaded most from expressing their views. (Continued…)
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