Submitted by: Tony Caputo
THE TEA PARTY AND MINORITIES –
What Can Be Done To Attract Them?
I am often asked by many in the Tea Party Movement what can be done to attract more Blacks and minorities to attend and become involved with a movement that is dedicated to restore and save our Republic. It is a very valid question, and it is a subject that deserves research and honest answers.
The Tea Party has been accused of racism by the main stream media and several Civil Rights Groups since the group has formed and received national attention. In all of these cases this charge is fallacious; built on imagined perceptions. There are, however, several reasons why these charges are brought against the Tea Party Movement, and these accusations must be answered.
Many media outlets have printed stories about the exclusion of minorities from the Tea Party without any real proof other than announcing the fact that Blacks are not present at rallies or Tea Party meetings and events. In almost all of the instances, the media fails to observe the fact that there are few minorities in the area they are reporting from.
Understandably, this leaves one with the impression that The Tea Party, at least on the surface, does not welcome Blacks or minorities. They discourage the necessity that one must look at “who”, “what”, and “why” when reaching this conclusion and also take into account the “where” factor.
When The Tea Party first began, the plea was made to all citizens to think about the direction that our government leaders were taking this country. Topics such as excessive spending, expanded vs limited government, the rejection of more and higher taxes; and universal health care were the main concerns. These concerns are common to every American. So in reality, The Tea Party began with an open invitation to every American because the issues that The Tea Party found important were issues that should bind citizens to rally for a common cause.
The issues however that have divided Americans from the inception of this movement could be described as racial because, in the minds of the majority of Blacks and minorities, The Tea Party is viewed as a movement that is against a person who has won the election to The Office Of President Of The United States Of America simply because of the color of his skin. Much of that perception is a result of negative media coverage by news outlets hungry to establish a sentiment of racism.
If one looks deeper at the issues and reasons that motivated the inception of The Tea Party, one would find that the movement is not picking on the person because of his or her color, ethnic background, or race. The Tea Party is motivated by a conflict of principles, values, and the beliefs of our current President Barrack H. Obama. He is viewed as a person that is at odds with the traditional American values, The U.S. Constitution and the principles of the Founders of this nation.
The Tea Party Movement and others view President Obama’s platform, agenda and intentions as unacceptable and they seeking to restore and preserve the values that made America a great nation. They realize the importance of Liberty and individual freedom and they assert these as having their origination from our Creator.
The people that are at odds with The Tea Party ignore the fact that these issues, conservative values and American principles are what drives this movement. In most cases Anti Tea Party individuals do not care about what our current President believes in or what his voting record has been in the past regarding values or The Constitution. They view his election to this Office as a victory that is long overdue and one that they have awaited for decades. They are proud of this historical moment regardless of principle. They see a Black man being picked on because of his skin color, and they rush to defend him based on that emotional link alone.
So then, how do we resolve the difference of perception and refute the charge of racism so that minorities can be attracted into The Tea Party Movement?
First of all I believe that we must ask our friends and neighbors to have an open mind. We cannot move forward and tear down the barriers if we are not open to the truth.
One question that must also be asked of Blacks and minorities is why do you hold to traditional Biblical values, and a high moral standard, but refuse to allow those values to guide your reaction to the issues that you share in common with The Tea Party? We must also ask them to compare the values that have held the Black community together for years to those that are espoused by our current President.
We must also ask our Black friends, minorities and neighbors to look at the history of the Civil Rights movement to analyze whether or not Blacks have made the progress that they sought during the movement and whether they continue on the path that Civil Rights Leaders envisioned for their future and made sacrifices for.
As we listen to the leaders of that movement we notice that they are still asking for the same things they asked for after during the inception of the Civil Rights era and they have also led the people of the Black community into a state of dependency on the government programs that were introduced to help them out of poverty and government reliance. Instead of seeking the pursuit of The American Dream for themselves, the Black community has been further destroyed by these welfare programs.
These leaders are using their positions to make sure that they will always have a position of power, a seat at the progressive table; and a steady income. They also use the lies of The Democrat left wing Progressive establishment to maintain this control over the thinking of minorities which helps to keep minorities dependent upon government programs for their very survival. That is not the American dream, and it will lead to further deterioration.
Much more could be said here as to why minorities are feeling at odds with The Tea Party. However our purpose here is to find ways to enhance minority involvement and to answer the question of how to attract this group into the Tea Party movement.
My suggestions are not exhaustive and are introduced to lead the Tea Party in the right direction.
May I suggest first of all that The Tea Party movement must begin to look at how to bring minorities to these rallies through better information of where meetings and events occur.
The movement must also take advantage of the simple message of individual freedom to educate those that may not be able to equate that message with their core values.
The movement must also encourage minority participants that are involved to seek positions of public leadership so that they can be seen by their peers and serve as role models.
The movement must also ask those that are prominent role models, and who serve as national figures that support The Tea Party to spend more time interacting with and using their images to support public relations and advertisement with those Blacks that are already serving as speakers and current members. This will show the community that a link exists between them and current minority grassroots activists. At present these people are viewed as unreachable.
Pictures of local grassroots and high profile Blacks that currently serve in the Tea Party Movement with such leaders as Sarah Palin, and others would serve as a great source of opportunity to show that national figures care and are willing to interact with minorities. Leaders such as Sarah Palin, Dick Armey, Jenny Beth Martin; and Tim Phillips are currently viewed as unapproachable figures to most minorities.
The Tea Party must also include lesser known grassroots minority speakers and others on their agenda at rallies, forums, conventions, and events. They must also be included on the rooster as national leaders of the various national groups.
The Tea Party Movement is a movement that is growing and one that needs to look at all options in order to continue to reach out to all Americans. We can unite and continue to reach out to all Americans as we break down barriers and seek to include those that may be different. America is a great nation with an exceptional people. If we are to restore, reclaim and take back our nation so that we can pass down to our future generations; the America that we had passed down to us, we must reach out to all people that hold to traditional American values, our Founding Principles; and who love our Constitution.
"FREEDOM And LIBERTY - Use Them Or Lose Them."
Sincerely;
Emery McClendon
Fort Wayne 912 /Tea Party Organizer and speaker
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