I was first made aware of Candace Owens as a political figure during coverage of the 2019 congressional hearings about increases in hate crimes during the Trump presidency. The necessity of the congressional hearing itself seemed obvious. Even to the average American who may even be disinterested in politics, constant bombardment through social media made this issue of rising hate crimes statistics during the Trump presidency impossible to ignore. By this time, midterm elections had led to a Democratic majority in congress. Therefore, the issue of hate crimes and the need for better legislation had come to the forefront of politics by April of that year. I cannot say I honestly remember much of those hearings beyond former representative Elijah Cummings leading much of the conversation. But then there was Owens. Amidst the emotional pleas from nearly every other person of color in the court for the congress to take action, Owens, under oath, claimed not only that the increase in hate crimes in the United States was media fake news, but also that the Southern strategy never happened, and was simply a myth shared by democrats and the media to push Black people toward becoming a strong and reliable block of the Democratic party’s base.
For those unfamiliar, the Southern strategy was a political strategy of the then Republican candidate Richard Nixon to recruit White southern democrats into the Republican party by playing to their racial resentments as integration became the norm and legal segregation was slowly being dismantled by federal legislation. As Nixon and his campaign strategist Lee Atwater had hoped, the Southern strategy was successful as Nixon ascended to the presidency in 1968. The aftermath was a “flip” of previous political affiliations with many young African Americans joining the Democratic party and White southerners joining the Republican party. Therefore, for those with a strong understanding of cultural politics and historical demographic shifts, Owens’ response seemed odd. Not just because it seemed almost off topic given the subject of conversation during the hearings, but also because it was so clearly wrong. Subsequently, Owens was a key story in many news outlets after the hearings concluded. But while many dismissed her claims as nonsense, few stopped to consider existing gaps between the ruling class and the average American in knowledge of political history. It would only become clear once another, much more prominent figure would enter the fray. Insert Kanye West.
Kanye West has made a number of controversial statements in an attempt to assert himself as a serious political figure. Many of us can remember Kanye’s notorious statement during a Hurricane Katrina charity benefit that was televised in 2005 (“George Bush doesn’t care about Black People”). His recent commentary has been increasingly far-right in its ideology, including many discriminatory comments towards minority groups. But central to Ye’s political philosophy is his religious identity as a Christian, an identity that many Black Democratic voters share. While the issue of race has been one that has solidified Black voter turnout for the Democratic ticket, socially conservative Christian values served as a barrier to Kanye’s support. The Republican party and many far-right groups have publicly portrayed themselves as groups upholding the American Christian tradition. And as Ye was met with policy positions that support a new, diverse and inclusive America removed from previous focuses on socially conservative values, Ye chose to support conservative political movements that claimed to support those values.
There has always been something oxymoronic about Black Republicans. This is partially due to the contemporary history of the Republican party as one stoking racial divides and scapegoating minorities as what is wrong with the country. This history includes the war on drugs, prejudiced portrayals of welfare queens and absent fathers as well as the words of politicians like former presidents, Reagan, Bush, and now Trump. But race alone has always been key to political participation for Black Americans. Rarely does the average Black American ponder the policy positions of conservative candidates because of this history, so what if you make the issue of race disappear? Attack the history Black Americans, and all Americans think they know, and then present Black candidates that appear to support a socially conservative political agenda.
Whereas many mainstream political journalists have written about Kanye as a leader, few have covered what may very well be a coordinated attempt to push Black Americans towards conservative politics when possible but more likely political apathy. Through misinformation disseminated through social media and media created by conservative think tanks like PragerU, conservative activists can actively dissuade Black Americans from participating in American politics. The Democratic party does not deserve unwavering support from the Black community, but Black Americans deserve to participate in the formation of America’s present and future. There is a dire need for the historical and political education of Black youth that is divorced from identity politics, and instead is rooted in an understanding of political theory and policy positions. Regardless of where one lands after being educated on both sides of the spectrum, Black voices deserve to be elevated in American politics as much as anyone else's given the blood, sweat and tears Black men and women have shedded in the founding and building of this nation.
Further Reading
Maloy, A.F. (2022). “Candace Owens and Kanye West’s Provocative Friendship, Explained.” The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/10/18/candace-owens-kanye-west/
Itkowitz, C. (2019). “Candace Owens wrongly called GOP’s Southern strategy a ‘myth.’” The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/candace-owens-wrongfully-called-gops-southern-strategy-a-myth/2019/04/09/e1eaf0de-5afa-11e9-9625-01d48d50ef75_story.html
Rigueur, L. W. (2014). The loneliness of the black Republican. In The Loneliness of the Black Republican. Princeton University Press.