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THE POLITICS OF BLACKNESS: Are black media fair to black Republicans? |
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Written by BARBARA HOWARD
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 There are over 200 black newspapers in this country, hundreds more
black-owned or black-operated radio stations, black TV and black
Internet blogs. Additionally, there are black radio and TV programs on
white radio and TV stations, all of which promote their very existence
as being to provide news, lifestyle and entertainment about the black
community to the black community.
We all love black media for giving us what the white media could never
give us – information from a black point of view, which is sometimes
180 degrees from a white point of view.
Yet there is a segment of the black community that gets totally ignored when the subject turns to politics. Since 90 percent of the black community has voted Democratic for the past 30 years or so, black media has concentrated almost solely on the Democratic Party.
And now, since the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee is a black man, not only does the black media totally concentrate their time and space on that candidate, but also viciously demean those black folk who are not in lock-step.
All one has to do is listen to nationally-syndicated black radio and TV hosts to hear the vitriol launched at the Republican presidential and vice-presidential candidates, not to mention the hate-filled comments hurled toward black Republicans during this campaign season.
If black Republicans want to get any positive news about Sen. John McCain or Gov. Sarah Palin, they have to look at FOX News, listen to WIOD or read articles on websites like Townhall.com or RealClearPolitics.com.
Not only can they not read anything positive in the black newspapers or on the black websites, they can’t even call in to black radio programs without getting vehemently attacked or blasted as being traitors or Uncle Toms.
What’s worse is that the black community never gets any good news about black Republicans. They don’t know that there are some great black commentators like Star Parker, Larry Elder, Harry R. Jackson Jr., Ken Blackwell, Michael Steele, Angela McGlowan, Thomas Sowell, Walter E. Williams, Armstrong Williams, etc.
Gregory Kane is one of the only black conservatives you can read on Black-AmericaWeb.com.
And if you want to hear black conservatives on black radio, for the most part you can’t. Radio hosts like Michael Baisden, Warren Ballentine, Tom Joyner, etc. are anti-conservatives. According to The New York Times, black radio is the Liberal Left’s answer to Rush Limbaugh.
So there is no way black conservatives are welcome on black radio. The Christian Politician Radio Show, hosted by Apostle Claver Kamau-Imani and sponsored by the Texas Federation of Black Republicans, is one of the few black radio shows aimed at black Republicans.
Bill Calhoun, Chairman of the Federation, which is changing its name to the Texas Federation for Republican Outreach (TFRO), has said that Apostle Claver is committed to “awakening black voters by discussing public policy within the context of Biblical principles to remind them of their conservative roots.”
Washington governmental relations and political consultant Raynard Jackson is another conservative talk show host. But you can’t hear him on black radio either.
You have to listen on XM Satellite, channel 169.
So is the black media fair to black Republicans? The answer is in the question. There are almost a million black Republicans across this country and the black media don’t care.
There are no articles published for us. In fact, black newspapers don’t even carry articles written by black conservatives.
Even TV One, owned by a black Republican, refused to carry the Republican convention, but aired both the Democratic convention and the after parties.
Dozens of black Repub-licans run for office every political season, and there are over 100 officials (elected by white Republicans) in more than 27 states. There is even an African Americans for McCain Coalition.
But most of the black community doesn’t know it because the black media won’t even talk about them. And then they complain when Republican candidates won’t buy ads from them.
Hey Einstein, the Repub-lican Party will buy ads when the black media recognize that black Republicans are part of their market and deserve respect, while the rest of the community deserves to get the Republican side of the story.
Democrats never had a lock on the truth.
Barbara Howard is president of Barbara Howard & Associates and the Florida state chair for C.O.R.E. (the Congress of Racial Equality).
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Editor's Note:
In addition to writing a column that appears frequently in the South Florida Times newspaper and on its website, Barbara Howard is co-host of Elevating the Dialogue with the South Florida Times, a radio program that airs every Friday at 10 a.m. on 1470 AM. Also, the African-Americans for McCain Coalition’s website is paid for by McCain-Palin 2008.
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