Can Black Conservatism Mean Safe, Thriving Communities?

The story of Black conservatism begins in the aftermath of the Civil War. Freedmen who sought to rebuild their lives aligned with the Republican Party—the party of Lincoln—championing abolition, civil rights, and Reconstruction. Leaders like Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington personified this era, urging self-reliance, education, and economic empowerment as the path to equality. Yet, by the mid-20th century, the tectonic plates of American politics shifted. The Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Civil Rights Era drew Black Americans into the Democratic fold. The Republican Party’s pivot toward a “Southern Strategy” further alienated Black voters, leading to the...