Blog

Dear Black People: Stop Shooting the Messenger for Simply Holding Up a Mirror | Opinion

by Summer September 24, 2023 0 comments

By: Summer

I’m Willing To Bet Author Kathy Barnette Listens To Tommy!!!

KATHY BARNETTE , REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR U.S. SENATE IN PA, 2022; NATIONAL GRASSROOTS DIRECTOR FOR THE VIVEK RAMASWAMY PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

Fear and hate, when merged, create a potent political opium that is intoxicating to the ruling elites of our time and propels them to unprecedented heights of power. Remarkably cost-effective, this potent brew has been wielded to tremendous effect in recent times, specifically by generating fear and hate around the myth of ongoing race-based persecution. And though the alleged beneficiary of this opiate is the black community, we are in actual fact harmed by it—while the ruling class benefits.

A frightening trend has emerged in which the word “racist” is wielded carelessly and ruthlessly—predominantly by those who use it to increase polarization. Once the allegation of racism was used to combat true bigotry and cultivate our nation’s genuine empathy—the source of our power. Today, the Left uses the term against any idea they can’t debate on the merits, or don’t understand, or even just to mask their own failures. And of course, it’s used to smear the Left’s political opponents—especially those willing to tell the truth about race in America.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, whose campaign I am advising, is a case in point. There have been multiple attempts to brand Ramaswamy as racist for speaking out on the severe challenges the black community is grappling with. But these smears are shallow and only hurt black individuals and communities.

It’s no secret that our community faces a myriad of issues. We’re often hesitant to bring our problems to the forefront, not wanting to air our dirty laundry in public, hoping that by ignoring them, they’ll go unnoticed. But our problems are glaring.

We consistently vote in large numbers for a political party that hasn’t reciprocated our loyalty with tangible benefits. Our neighborhoods are notorious for their high crime rates. Our children are suffering in inadequate schools. We have an unacceptably high rate of abortions. Our children—our future—step off school buses daily with their pants sagging to their knees. Too many fathers are nowhere to be found.

Our problems are visible for all to see. We must ask ourselves why too many of our precious babies are being raised in neighborhoods controlled by gangs, littered with drug paraphernalia and saturated with the putrid scent of sweat and urine?

The blame can be attributed to various factors, including administrators, politicians, unions, and powerbrokers.

The one person who can’t be blamed for any of our problems is Vivek Ramaswamy. He is simply a person unafraid to point them out.

When someone like Vivek points out these issues, it’s essential not to react with anger. Instead, let’s channel that anger into demanding better, into fixing what’s broken.

Get angry—but not at those who shed light on our problems. Get mad at those who had the power to change the course of predominantly black communities and chose not to act. It’s time to stop tolerating the intolerable.

It’s time to stop allowing ourselves to be manipulated so the ruling class can accrue power that benefits everyone but us. For our sake and for the generations yet to come, stop shooting the messenger when the message is righteous and necessary.

The power lies within us to demand change, and we must exercise it.

Kathy Barnette is the National Grassroots Director for the Vivek Ramaswamy Presidential Campaign and the author of Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: Being Black and Conservative in America.

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.