COLUMN: The new black conservatives

From Kristopher Couch's, "Nothing But The Truth," Fall '96 From Kristopher Couch's, "Nothing But The Truth," Fall '96 There is little agreement about whether the new black conservative movement is a whimper or a bang. Nonetheless, liberals have been unified in their reaction to it: You cannot be black and Republican, they say.Then again, what do you expect them to say? After all, in the African American community, who is best served by one-sided thinking? One group: The Democrats. According to Malik Wilson's recent article in The Vision (Penn's independent African American student newspaper), black conservatives are an "ideological oxymoron." By being conservative, a person loses his "blackness." Why is it most African Americans don't think the words "black" and "Republican" go together? Because of articles like Wilson's. Being black and conservative may pose an ideological conflict for him, but by no means is this true for all African Americans. Doubt it? Look at what "conservative" really means. While conservatives may "favor traditional views and values," in no way does this imply that they oppose change or simply want to return to the past. Can anyone rationally think black conservatives oppose change, while they rail against the status quo of welfare and affirmative action programs? Instead, black conservatives work toward economic empowerment through self-reliance, in an effort to change governmental tendencies toward the creation of a dependent class. Conservatives, regardless of their race, believe better solutions may be found in the free-market, the temple, the church, the mosque or anywhere in the private-sector. While the opposition to the new black conservatives has been great, their message to the African American community is nothing new. The ideas of self-reliance, accountability and personal responsibility advocated by black leaders from Frederick Douglass to Booker T. Washington. The new black conservatives maintain that for over three centuries, African Americans survived the brutal hardships of slavery and racism because of strong traditions of family, church and community life. Only in this century has government largely undone such traditions, through dependency-inducing programs like welfare and affirmative action, the conservatives say. Whether or not you agree with the new black conservatives, can individuality exist in the African American community? Will the current leadership separate the conservatives from the black mainstream by calling into question their racial identity? Will the African American community rob itself of quality debate and the furthering of ideas by simply dismissing black conservatives as contradictions? I hope not. There has always been a strong conservative element in African America. Not only are many African Americans churchgoing and family-centered, but they fall slightly to the right on a number of social issues as well. According to the Joint Center for Political Studies, over 30 percent of African Americans consider themselves "conservative," despite the approximately 88 percent of them who consistently vote Democratic. Fifty-eight percent approve the denial of increased welfare payments to recipients who have more children. Around 75 percent back mandatory sentences for drug dealers, and 61 percent feel African American leaders are too quick to cite racism as an excuse for crime. The above numbers are especially interesting because they show a fair amount of dissenting political views within the black community. Can you judge someone's "blackness" by their views on the death penalty, crime or affirmative action? Then why are African Americans who point out the welfare state's damaging effects or who question the effectiveness of affirmative action continually criticized or ostracized by their peers? Who is the real proponent of the status quo? Do the new black conservatives represent a growing movement? That's hard to say, but with intellectuals like Thomas Sowell from Stanford University's Hoover Institute, J.C. Watts (R--Okla.), retired General Colin Powell, radio host and entrepreneur Errol Smith, Harvard Economics Professor Glenn C. Loury, syndicated columnist and former Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes, author and radio host Armstrong Williams and others in their ranks, the black conservatives seem to be here to stay. As long as the problems of poverty, unemployment and crime persist, many will continue to question the effectiveness of the black community's leadership and the government programs that exist to assist its members. Instead of vilifying black conservatives, those leaders should welcome them to the debate and the search for the best solutions.