“One of the things I’ve heard is that if you acknowledge the problem [racism] then you are playing into the left’s narrative. And I want to say: But it’s not their narrative! We should take it back! It’s our narrative! There would be no civil rights legislation were it not for the Republican Party. Who led the fight to abolish slavery in this country?” —Kay Coles James
Kay Coles James, president of the Heritage Foundation, has experienced a level of notoriety lately due to attacks by Tucker Carlson for her belief that racism still exists in this country. She wrote a recent opinion piece for Fox News expressing her views. As a black woman and a conservative, she has seen important changes in this country on questions of race, and she doesn’t believe there is systemic racism; she does believe, however, that racism does still exist, and that conservatives should use the tools they have to deal with it. As an example, she writes about voucher programs as a way to empower black families to have a voice in educating their children. In addition, she has set up the Gloucester Institute that operates leadership and educational programs for minority college students. She also believes that efforts like the 1619 Project create a false narrative that creates more problems than it solves.
To me, the primary issue is not whether racism exists; I believe it does exist, but in small amounts. Instead, we should be asking whether it exists to the degree that we, Republicans in particular, should be developing solutions that train black Americans to be problem-solvers in new and creative ways that will work in these times.
Many of us will acknowledge that some of the most debilitating social programs initiated in the 1960s by the Left have done the most to handicap black Americans. Is it possible, knowing the resistance we may face, that we can reverse that damage, empower black Americans, and reconcile our differences? Will black Americans be receptive to programs we could offer to them, given the current climate?
President Trump has certainly made strides in providing opportunities for black Americans. Should we be doing even more?
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