Mike Steele Goes to Howard!

Last week RNC Chairman Michael Steele visited Historically Black Howard University. I will give it to dude because he has tried to at least appear like the party is reaching out to Black Folks.

So why is he failing so badly?

Believe it or not it is because Mr. Steele has not done his homework. I watched dude on CNN talking about being the Hip Hop Republican opposite Public Enemy Front man/CNN Commentator Chuck D. Mr. Steele made the statement that Chuck was from the ghetto and managed to rise up and Chuck corrected him stating that he was raised in a suburb in Long Island, New York.

Faux Pas!

Anyone who actually listened to Hip Hop in the 90's knew that Public Enemy and De La Soul were Long Island kids and it was significant cause Hip-Hop was no longer just coming from that Brooklyn/Queens/South Bronx connection. Now you had groups who were coming from a lil more education and had grown up a lil more affluent however they still spoke of their own struggles being Black in America.

Mr. Steele, you're over 40 it's time to change your idea of hip. It ain't you! Hip is not what the Republicans need anyway. Hip is not what Black Republicans should be trying to be. How about be ARTICULATE. That would be good for starters.

How bout recognizing that two of America's Greatest Black Conservatives George Shyuler and Thomas Sowell both came out of Howard University. Thomas Sowell did his undergrad at HOWARD before he transferred to HARVARD! Why didn't you call him? He's even come back to Howard to teach classes on occasion.

How about a message that actually speaks to Black People in America. I went to a web site called Hip Hop Republican which went to great lengths to point out that most HBCU's were founded by Republicans. So what?

This Republican Party is not that Republican Party. That Republican Party that founded those Historically Black Colleges and Universities was a "RADICAL" Branch of the larger Republican Body. That's right a group of activists and dissidents who broke from the main branch!

Today's face of the Republican Party is George Walker Bush, Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Tom Delay and Newt Gingrich! That's the face of today's Republican Party.

I want to say this to Mr. Steele and to any other party that comes before a group of Black Folks. You have to know who you are talking to. A strong National Defense may be important but not necessarily the most important thing to us. Low Taxes are great in theory but not at the expense of Infrastructure. Too many potholes! Too many schools that should have been torn down and rebuilt decades ago.

Black Folks ideas about the Republican agenda may be vastly different than Newt Gingrich's. You have to be prepared to meet us there. Remember Black Folks know more about Self Determination and Self Reliance than alot of your party mates. Marcus Garvey, Elijah Muhammad, and Dr. Vernon Johns all encouraged us to build businesses for ourselves. Remember that! Mr. Muhammad may have said that the White Man is the Devil but he also had a bunch of previously criminal Men free of drugs, cigarettes and alcohol standing clean shaved and wearing suits going home and taking care of they Women and babies and selling bean pies and fish!

So that pulling Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps is bull ish! Cause we invented it! If Black Folks do come to the Republican Party remember this it's not just gonna look Black but it's gonna BE Black!

Finally, Mr. Steele you should explain what a Conservative is trying to Conserve? This really makes no Sense!

BE Prayerful! BE Mindful! BE Careful!

Jaycee