For This Black Woman, the GOP Feels Like Home

“Suddenly, the Grand Old Party was no longer seen as white, privileged, and wealthy. Instead, it was truly the party of social justice, freedom, economic opportunity, and the American Dream.”

The Democratic National Convention (DNC) and the Republican National Convention (RNC) just completed their respective gatherings, where each party formally nominated its candidate for President of the United States. The Democrats, of course, nominated former Vice President Joe Biden, while the Republicans, in turn, nominated incumbent President Donald Trump.

To be honest, I usually do not watch either convention. This year, however, since programming is thinner due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), I turned to the RNC this past week. Once I tuned in, though, I was mesmerized by all of the personal stories from ordinary Americans as they underscored how they had directly benefited from President Trump’s policies over the past three-and-a-half years.

Apparently, I was not the only one. The opening night of the RNC drew six times more viewers on C-SPAN’s livestream than the DNC the week before. According to a Hill report, around 440,000 people watched the first night of the GOP’s convention, as compared to the only 76,000 viewers who watched the first night of the DNC. However, what captivated me, in particular, was that so many minorities shared how President Trump’s policies had helped them. Suddenly, the Grand Old Party was no longer seen as white, privileged, and wealthy. Instead, it was truly the party of social justice, freedom, economic opportunity, and the American Dream. Prior Republican efforts to gain traction among minorities resulted in promises but little action. This President—while still on the campaign trail—had said to minority voters, “What do you have to lose?” He then implemented more policies that advanced the needs of minority communities than any other American president in modern history.