Kacy Benefield: “Where Do I Sit?”

In today’s political climate, many Black voters are searching for candidates that align with their beliefs and values. The day of supporting the Democratic party just because have fallen by the wayside. The problem is the Conservative party and the Republican party appear to be two different parties but only consist of a single vote.

Though there are a few things, such as the ridiculous gender and trans laws being supported by the Democratic party that many Black voters disagree with it is impossible to be a Republican because of the racism that exists in the Grand Ole Party.

From the dog whistles coming from the Republican Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis with the attacks on “wokeness” or the removal of CRT, to the continued racist statements being made by former president Donald Trump.

These things are constantly front and center in mainstream news but are always being blamed by conservatives as liberal media hit pieces. Well, a earlier in July on the House floor, Arizona Rep. Eli Crane referred to African-Americans as “colored people.” What an extremely offensive thing for, not just a member of Congress to say, but for a human being to say knowing the history of that term.

And before you ask about all of the other organizations who actually have the word in the name (i.e., the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, ak.a. the NAACP) know these were negotiated at a time when we as Black people had no say.

The sad part is when asked by Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty that Rep. Crane’s terminology be stricken from the record, Rep. Crane asked to amend his words to, “people of color.”

You may be wondering why or what Rep. Crane was introducing to the chair because it was his bill. This is how he described a problem within our military by explaining that other countries such as Iran, Russia, and China do not have the problems we have.

Democrat Joyce Beatty asked for Eli Crane's comments to be struck from the record after he referred to minorities as "colored people." pic.twitter.com/IJL9ydlaBJ

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) July 13, 2023

Allow me to tie this together for you: former President Trump said John McCain was not a war hero due to him having been captured. Governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has attempted to tie being “woke” to transgender support, when in fact the true meaning is for Black people to pay attention to that which the government is doing – no matter the party affiliation. Being woke is knowing your history so you do not repeat it and understanding what is happening in your communities and country.

So DeSantis’ idea to stop “woke” thinking is to eliminate Critical Race Theory and refer to slavery as “involuntary labor.” And now Rep. Crane is using some of the most offensive language on the House floor to refer to Black Americans.

Maybe, just maybe, Rep. Crane can look at all the contributions Black men and women in the military have provided. Oh, wait, DeSantis is getting rid of CRT…soon we won’t have a record of our accomplishments. And according to the former president, those captured or killed aren’t heroes and Rep. Crane doesn’t consider them American.

So, the next time you ask what liberals and conservatives have in common, it’s easy to deduce: there is no place for us “colored” folks in the Grand Ole Party.