Source: AP Photo/Richard Drew
Washington, D.C. - The
Republican National Committee closed out Black History Month this week by
recognizing some of the most influential black conservative leaders of the year
at their annual Trailblazers Awards ceremony in the nation's capital.
Photo: RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel - Source: AP Photo/Richard Drew
RNC Chair
Ronna McDaniel kicked off the event, before handing the mic over to this year's
Trailblazers, South Carolina National Committeeman Glenn McCall and President
and CEO of the Douglass Leadership Institute Dean Nelson.
Some of the attendees included the RNC’s 20 “Rising
Stars," who are all under the age of 30 and all come from minority
communities.
The RNC doesn't plan to stop recognizing African-American
achievements at the end of February. For instance, she told Townhall after her
remarks, the party has held economic opportunity events throughout the country,
like small business events that teach business owners how to best secure
funding. It was so successful, she said, that the NAACP reached out to them to
hold a similar event with their organization.
When they are in minority communities, party
representatives like to talk about the record low 5.9 unemployment rate among
African-Americans. African-American small business ownership has increased 400
percent.
"What does that mean?" McDaniel asked. "It
means lives are better. They are making more money. Families are doing
well."
Chatting about The First Step Act, which was passed on a
bipartisan basis, is also key.
"We knew these mandatory sentencing guidelines for
nonviolent crimes were disproportionately affecting minority communities,"
McDaniel said.
The RNC chair believes the GOP's message on school choice
will also resonate with minority communities because parents know their
children's education "should not be determined by their zip
codes."
Meanwhile, Democrats are still trying to do damage
control over the shocking blackface controversy(ies) in Virginia. Both Gov.
Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring admitted to doing blackface
when they were students, yet have dismissed calls to resign. Another Democratic
lawmaker in Maryland uttered the
n-word this week.
Townhall asked McDaniel to offer a few thoughts on the
contrasting narratives unfolding between the two parties.
"What's happened in Virginia, it has been bipartisan
in his calls to resign," she noted. "I think he's (Northam) lost
credibility with this photo, with his inability to remember if he was in it or
not. And some of his past actions too. It wasn't just this one; it was a
history. So, it's unfortunate. We have a divide in our country right now. So I
would say, are you looking at leaders who are going to try and heal that or who
are going to try and push that for their political gain or benefit?"
The Democrats are giving Republicans "great
opportunities" to make their case, Dean Nelson said in his remarks. The
Democrats' "mask is coming off" and "the real history of the
Democratic Party is being exposed."
Just recently, Nelson revealed, he and his team were down
in Richmond, VA to speak out against Gov. Northam, who Nelson said seems
"more concerned about blackface than really saving black babies."
The Republican Party's history, McDaniel reminded guests
at Wednesday's ceremony, is worth celebrating. It was founded in 1854 by
abolitionists. The first Republican National Convention, convened in Michigan,
was centered on an anti-slavery platform. She added for good measure that it
was the Republican Party that passed the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery.
"It was the party of Lincoln that fought for the
rights of African-Americans and civil and voting rights legislation over the
years," she said. "This is a legacy each of us cherishes."
