In 2005, a Filipino pastor told my father that all the white missionaries he encountered were racist. When my father asked pastor George why he thought this, he told my father that when he tried to hold their hands, they snatched them away.
In that area of the Philippines, hand-holding was a sign of great friendship. By not understanding the culture, these missionaries unknowingly offended the very people they were trying to reach and hindered their ability to minister effectively. My father, on the other hand, did not make the same mistake. Experience taught him to not react when he encountered a custom that was contrary to his western culture normal. He also learned that it was important to listen to his guides and interpreters.
I have seen this same scenario play out across the United States among Republicans. Many state Republican parties say they want to have outreach programs, but most are not successful because they refuse to listen to their guides. As the former director of women and urban engagement for the RNC, I talked to many frustrated black Republicans, and they all say the same thing about the GOP: “They don’t listen.”
Republicans claim to have outreach. But an obligatory urban neighborhood walkthrough in front of cameras, two months before an election, is not outreach. Neither is your customary roundtable with a few black Republicans (people you personally know), so you can put the pictures on your campaign literature and website. Your annual black church visitation circuit also does not qualify. These events are little more than a check on the box for most Republican political consultants and politicians. It’s the same shallow tactic they’ve been using for twenty to thirty years. It leaves many black activists frustrated and people within in the community skeptical of Republican sincerity.
So, the million-dollar question is, why don’t they listen? The answer is very simple: it all boils down to money. A large financial investment is required to expand your party base, and until recently, it was not necessary for Republicans to expand their base in order to win. Campaigns are expensive and dollars are precious. In 2016, $6.5 billion dollars was spent on elections, primaries and all. To be honest, most see the expansion of one’s base as a waste of resources.
Typically, there are only two to three top political consultants in each state. This is a tight-knit good ol’ boys network. They have a certain way of doing things, and most have virtually no real connections to minority communities. Even if they do bring on an additional consultant that specializes in minority outreach, ego keeps many of them from taking those consultants’ advice. So, we’re back to the black church circuit, 30 days prior to the election.
It’s important to note that political consultants and vendors make their money whether the candidate wins or not.
Republicans managing effective outreach would also affect vendors: mailers, graphic/video designers, data firms, etc. Vendors have the same problem as political consultants. They don’t know how to effectively target and market to minority communities, which is why you see virtually no Republican ads or literature in urban media markets.
Things in Michigan were a bit different in the 2014 and 2016 elections. The Michigan GOP had Detroit-specific literature that showcased how Republican leadership had positively affected Detroiters. They also used a few minority vendors, and they had my sister, Christina Barr, as the creative director. This means they had the perspective of a millennial black woman when messaging was being decided.
Demographics are shifting, and times are changing. We saw that in this past election across the country. In 2020, it’s not going to be enough to get the base out to vote in swing states. Republicans are going to have to expand the base, and in order to do that, they have to actually listen to the minority activists trying to help them.
Gina Alicia Barr is a former director of women and urban engagement for the Republican National Committee.
