The Republican National Convention’s third night was largely geared toward one group: black voters.
The GOP featured several black speakers who could speak to the hardship and bigotry that many black people in the United States faced (and still do face) unjustly. Former NFL player Burgess Owens (whose great-great-grandfather was brought to the U.S. as a slave) spoke about growing up in the Jim Crow era, when segregation threatened to cripple his opportunity and take away his freedoms. And then, there was Clarence Henderson, who was arrested during a sit-in during the civil rights movement.
Both men offered powerful tributes to the American promise of equality and liberty for all and urged black people to vote for the party that they said would preserve that promise: the GOP. As evidence, the RNC’s speakers cited President Trump’s record on criminal justice reform, his work to secure permanent funding for historically black colleges and universities, and his administration’s efforts to introduce school choice to low-income neighborhoods.
“These achievements demonstrate that Donald Trump truly cares about black lives. His policies show his heart. He has done more for black Americans in four years than Joe Biden has done in 50,” Henderson said during his speech.
Trump’s campaign is clearly making a play for the black vote — a difficult task considering that Biden enjoys overwhelming support from the African American community. But Owens and Henderson offered a convincing tribute that forces black voters to think not just of Trump, but of the policies his administration has implemented. On criminal justice reform, for example, Trump’s record is undeniably better than Biden’s. It is also true that Trump’s economic policies helped lower African American unemployment to an all-time low before the coronavirus pandemic.
These are significant achievements worth celebrating. Are they worth voting for too?
