April 23, 2010
NRAAC's National Chair
Dr. Jean Howard-Hill
National Republican African American Caucus [NRAAC] Blog
The National Republican African American Caucus Has It’s
Say!: 18 Day Political Revival
Day 6 & 7: The candid truth about how many African Americans are treated within the Republican Party and the 30 Boundary Rules for being a “Certified GOP Acceptable - African American Republican”.
[Revised excerpts from my book, Black Eyes Shut – White Lips Sealed, Chapter Twenty-Three, 100 Black Watts and Condilites Shining So Bright!]
Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying. Many African-American Republicans find this saying to be true.
In order to keep from getting rock bottom depressed at those times when you see some of the disparities and racist practices within the Republican Party, you have to resolve to finding some humor in all of it, lest you lose your sanity. With the input of some of the “old timers” within the party, we put together a humorous, but true to experience list of what we call some of those Boundary Rules that generally govern us as African American Republicans.
Rule 1. A good African-American Republican must be seen and not heard!
Rule 2. If you are to be heard, let it be what we told you to say and not what’s on your mind or tugging at your heart.
Rule 3. Try hard, like real hard not to make the “trouble maker’s” list. Cause if you do? …You’re DONE!
Rule 4. Stay in your place!
Rule 5. You are welcome at the Republican table, as long as all you want to do there is eat!
Rule 6. If by chance you get a position within the party, just know that upon taking office, the job description changes and the power it once had? Well …it no longer exists! So bring lots of pencils to thump to keep you busy!
Rule 7. We only need one or two tokens at a time. So the rest of you must wait your turn!
Rule 8. Only “obedient” blacks get the Republican goodies! Few exceptions to the rule.
Rule 9. You are an African-American Republican now. So you don’t have to worry about black issues anymore!
Rule 10. All African-American Republicans must transcend color!
Rule 11. DO NOT make us nervous!
Rule 12. Never say the “A-A” word – Affirmative Action!
Rule 13. If you are going to run for elected office, you must find yourself a predominantly black district, and get the hell beat out of you as you try to run as a black Republican candidate in a black Democratic district!
Rule 14. Let’s make this perfectly clear, the Republican Party ONLY supports African-American candidates who run in black districts!
Rule 15. Always remember that you must never think yourself to be equal enough to dare challenge a white Republican candidate, in a primary election, in a predominantly white Republican district! No matter how dumb, illiterate, inferior, uneducated, or uniformed he or she may be. Even if your qualifications are much more superior than theirs, you must never offer yourself up as a more qualified candidate! Let the white dummies run! They will eventually grow into the office, and feel their way around as to how to serve the people who elected them! If not? Who cares, they are white.
Rule 16. The only time you may appear as an African-American group in numbers greater than “two or three, gathered in ‘our’ name”, is at the polls or fundraisers!
Rule 17. For those who seek to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, you must never look like you need boots or any other assistance from the party, or we will think you are looking for a handout!
Rule 18. When interviewed by the press, always defend the party, even if it makes you look like a real jackass when you do!
Rule 19. Oh! Don’t forget to smile for the press! Let’s fool them into thinking everything is OK, by making sure you look REAL happy!
Rule 20. Of course, we would love to stand by you! But only briefly during a “Kodak Moment”. Now let me see those pearly white teeth and that really BIG smile!
Rule 21. Never mention that President Lincoln freed the slaves! Instead, let’s just say he’s that old guy with his picture on a penny, that we use his name at our Lincoln Day dinners to raise money.
Rule 22. Don’t make us mad! We can be really mean spirited when we want to be!
Rule 23. Never try to talk to us about racial disparity. Isn’t it enough Lincoln freed “you people”!
Rule 24. NEVER take the word of a Black person, over that of a White Republican.
Rule 25: More than one or two of them want to join the Republican Party? Remain quiet and ignore them! Hopefully they will just go away.
Rule 26. Oh NO! They want to meet with us to talk about inclusion! What do we do? We meet with them and after that? We do NOTHING! In fact… let’s pretend they never came!
Rule 27. If one white person in the party leadership dislikes you and labels you as a “troublemaker”, we all do! Do not hang around those we call “troublemakers” or you too will be shunned!
Rule 28. If they seem to be a threat to our mafia styled powerbase, BLACKball them!
Rule 29. Never want more than we are willing to give you, and remember…if we giveth, then we can taketh it away!
Rule 30. Cross the line…and you are OUT!
*Please note: For the record, that there are exceptions to these rules, where “good white Republicans”, do not seek to control African-Americans, but welcome Blacks as individually thinking, political co-equals, with open arms into the party.*
As comical as these boundary rules may seem, they are often a reality. Such a grim scenario gives just cause and adequate grounds for the lack of African-American Republicans within the party. It also helps to give an explanation of why some have decided to divorce themselves from the sometimes tyrannical, unfair influence and boundaries of the Republican Party.
After reading this list, not only is a good Republican altar call needed, but also a prayer of endurance for African American Republicans!
Heaven help us!
What is even more frustrating is that there are African Americans within the Republican Party who know we have been mistreated and continue to be, and will remain quiet or with their eyes closed hoping for a few crumbs from the Republican table.
Heaven help them as well!
HEAVEN! ….PLEASE HELP US ALL!
To reach the NRAAC national chair:
Jean Howard-Hill
423-702-5622 NRAAC office
nraachowardhill@gmail.com
Jean.howard.hill@gmail.com
[Dr. Jean Howard-Hill is the author of Black Eyes Shut, White Lips Sealed. She has serves as the national chair for the National Black Republican Women with her late husband, Attorney Bobby Lee Hill serving as the head of the Black Republican Men for Change from 1987 to his death in 1991. After his death up until 1993, she remained head of the organization, and in 1999 combined the two groups to form the National Republican African American Caucus.
She has taught full time and as an adjunct, American Government, State and Local Government, and International Politics and Culture of Nonwestern Countries at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, and was voted 2006 Outstanding Professor of the year. Additionally, from 1976 to 1979, she designed and directed the "Democracy In Action" Program, which was a civics program taught in the local school systems. Howard-Hill also is a local political commentator and holds a law degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville College of Law. She also is ordained clergy and heads The Healing Place Ministries International, overseeing 47 ministries throughout Africa.
She also is a TN third district congressional candidate. If elected, she would be the first African American Republican and female to be elected from the third district. Her campaign website can be found at: http://ladyjforcongress.com and http://jeanhowardhillforcongress.com; http://jeanhowardhillcampaignnews.blogspot.com; http://blogwithladyjforcongress.blogspot.com; http://jeanhowardhillforcongress.ning.com; http://www.youtube.com/JHHCongress; http://twitter.com/ JHHCongress.]
More information on the NRAACcan be found at:
http://theblackolivebranch.blogspot.com [NRAAC National Chair's Blog]. Each State Caucus can be accessed by state. See related links at http://www.nraacaucus.org/index_files/Page816.htm. Also can be found on the RNC group page at http://our.gop.com/Groups/National_Republican_African-American_Caucus_NRAAC.
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