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Political conservatism and the African-American
experience could be lumped into the same category as oil and water,
toothpaste and orange juice, and jumbo-sized tubs of buttery popcorn and
diet cola — things that either do not mix or just don’t seem to
belong together. But Dr. Eric Wallace doesn’t see it that way. Wallace, a Republican candidate for Illinois Senate in
2006 and the current chairman of the African-American Republican Council of
Illinois, has launched Freedom’s Journal Magazine, an online
publication for black conservative viewpoints
(www.freedomsjournalmagazine.com). “It’s a conservative magazine with an
African-American flavor, if you will. It’s like taking ice cream and
having a chocolate topping on it. We put the chocolate topping on
it,” Wallace says. The son of a Republican pastor father and a mother who
served in Jimmy Carter’s cabinet, Wallace says that African-Americans possess “natural
conservative” leanings but ignore those instincts when it comes to
political behavior. “Most black Bible-believing churches do not
believe in abortion. They don’t believe in the gay lifestyle. They
might have gay members and they’re not anti-gay; they’re just
not trying to promote the gay lifestyle,” says Wallace, who holds a
Ph.D. in biblical studies. Conservative principles such as individual rights,
small government, and traditional family values appeal to a considerable
— and growing — segment of blacks, Wallace says. “Even Louis Farrakhan tells [Nation of Islam]
members not to depend on the federal government, that they need to
circulate the black dollar in the community. It’s like self-help,
some of the same messages that conservatives say,” Wallace says. Wallace may face difficulties attracting readers.
Blacks are just a fraction of the Republican electorate. In 2006, which
analysts billed “the year of the black Republican” because of
the number of African-American Republicans vying for high-profile offices,
blacks accounted for 14 percent of GOP voters. In 2004, President George W.
Bush received about 10 percent of the black vote — and even that was
a significant increase over the 2000 election. Wallace acknowledges that Republicans can do a better
job of recruiting minorities to their ranks: “We need to engage people, especially here in
Illinois. We need to get people to run and provide them support to get into
positions of power.”
Contact R.L. Nave at rnave@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Mar 27 – Apr 2, 2008.
