Squires: An invitation to Hakeem Jeffries and black Democrats to embrace freedom

My biggest problem with Joe Biden’s “you ain’t black” comment during the 2020 presidential campaign wasn’t his smug paternalism. It was the fake outrage from the black leaders and voters who believed the same thing but were upset that he said it.

The belief that voting for Republicans is an act of racial disloyalty has been shared by the broader black community for decades. Nikole Hannah-Jones made this point when she stated, “There is a difference between being politically black and being racially black. I am not defending anyone but we all know this and should stop pretending that we don't.”

This perspective is shared throughout every part of American culture, from corporate media to professional athletics. While it is typically an unspoken sentiment, a 1992 editorial from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries during his time in college has brought this dynamic back into the mainstream.

Jeffries’ concerns about the “rise of the Black conservative” were directly tied to the appointment of Justice Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. In predictable fashion, he framed his argument in the context of slavery. Jeffries likened Thomas to a “House Negro,” the domestic servant who tried to emulate his white master and had contempt for the “Field Negro” who endured hard labor in the hot sun every day until old age or death.

Jeffries went on to describe what he saw as the biggest problem with black conservatives.

"Their political agenda is not designed to contribute to the upliftment of their people. These right-wing opportunists espouse the political ideology of the power structure and, in return, they are elevated to positions historically reserved for whites.”

This statement is ironic considering Jeffries recently became the first black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress. That aside, one of the most important things the black community needs today politically is robust public debate about what racial uplift looks like today.

Every conversation about what’s best for a culture, community, and country must start with the family. Democrats used to speak openly about the importance of marriage, intact families, and fatherhood. Today, when their candidates show up to speak to black students at a historically black college or university, they’re much more likely to focus on abortion.

For some reason, the party that claims it cares about black lives and racial disparities sees no problem with the fact that 40% of all abortions in this country involve black babies.

Democrats, the pro-slavery party of the 1800s, welcomed black babies when they were seen as future slave labor. Now, the Planned Parenthood party tells black voters that killing our offspring is the key to our liberation, and BLM-inspired “freedom fighters” respond with a hearty “yassa boss!”

People talk about how the two parties “switched” in the post-civil rights era, but let’s imagine a different values swap. I highly doubt the NAACP and National Urban League would be demanding a meeting with the White House to beg for expanded abortion access if Republicans were the ones promoting abortion on demand in black communities across the country.

While abortion activism is the most obvious paradox in “pro-black” political discourse, it is far from the only one. Black Democrats like the Obamas send their children to expensive private schools yet fight school voucher programs that would give poor families the same opportunity, all while decrying the black-white achievement gap.

The NAACP, much to the delight of teachers’ unions, called for a moratorium on the expansion of charter schools several years ago over concerns that many urban charters are “segregated” and therefore inferior. These champions of civil rights are under the assumption that black students need white classmates to succeed. Apparently learning comes from ethnic osmosis, not hard work and dedication.

The classroom is not just the site of intense policy battles. It is also ground zero for the culture wars. There you will find black educators cosplaying as revolutionaries by smuggling BLM’s anti-nuclear family, pro-trans agenda into some of the country’s poorest-performing schools.

Hip-hop culture is another area where the “pro-black,” pro-self-destruction paradox exists. Conservatives who speak about the corrosive effects of glorifying and commodifying death, degradation, and dysfunction are often forced to defend themselves against accusations of hating black people.

The racist propaganda film “Birth of a Nation” was shown at the White House over 100 years ago. Black social critics believe its depictions of black men as violent brutes still has an impact on American culture today. But apparently the black rappers who literally make murder music aren’t a major problem because negative black imagery only has a negative impact when white people create and/or perform it.

The black left doesn’t just need to be challenged on questions of policy and culture. Members of the black progressive “Afristocracy,” comprising politicians, pundits, professors, preachers, and performers, need to be challenged on their presumption of legitimacy.

When black Democrats speak to voters or appear on cable news shows, the unspoken default assumption is that they are the people who truly care about the black community. It doesn't matter how silly their ideas are; they always operate from a position of strength and presumed authority.

Part of their power is in their ability to command the mechanisms of shame. A black man who walks into his barbershop and says he is a Republican will find himself having to constantly reaffirm his commitment to his community. The man who wants intact black families, safe and orderly communities, and education choice ends up playing defense against the people who support politicians and celebrities who act as if “Karens” and cops are the main threats to black life in the inner city.

Black progressives assume that they have the best interests of the community in mind. I do not. But more importantly, they should have to prove their assertions using clear, unambiguous language. I would love to hear a radical feminist go on cable news and start an argument about black families this way: “I believe the black community is worse off with less access to abortion and too many intact, two-parent homes because …” I would welcome a debate with any progressive who would dare complete that sentence without hiding behind euphemisms and weasel words.

The black left needs to be put on notice. I’m not impressed with the people who call the current president “Uncle Joe” and swoon like political teenyboppers over an elected official invoking the cadence of a southern preacher.

No one is afraid of black professors who would throw a baby shower for a pregnant “man” or radical feminists who think the natural family is an outdated relic of white supremacy. We certainly feel no obligation to listen to racial justice activists who say black families need generational wealth while also arguing to kill off our future generations.

Gone are the days when black conservatives feared being bullied into silence by silly taunts and outdated comparisons between the field negro and house negro. Those old tricks have long outlived their usefulness.

A solid moral foundation, logical arguments, and clear language are the tools needed to rebuild the community today. Emotional manipulation won’t work any more. This is the era of the free negro. Hakeem Jeffries is welcome to join us. All he needs is a Bible to navigate the Underground Railroad.