PrintFirst there were South Park Republicans. Now a new generation of traditionally liberal thinkers are finding resonance in Republican ideals. Tiffany Shorter, editor in chief of popular website HipHopRepublican.com, explains why the black community should take a turn to the right in the wake of Obama’s election.
For those who may not know of your organization, tell us what it means to be a Hip Hop Republican.
Hip Hop Republican in itself is a site where young—or Republicans of any age—and any music genre persuasion can come to for pop culture and political news to be updated on what is going on in urban areas, and [find out] what is the urban agenda. That is different from being a Hip Hop Republican. An HHR is someone who understands that conservatism leads to self-empowerment.
Black history usually exalts the likes of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, both of whom are regarded as left of center. How do you as a Hip Hop Republican relate the legacy of these civil rights leaders to your politics?
Well, if anyone looks back at African-American political culture, we all started off as Republicans and later switched. We, as a people, do not have to share the same ideas on how to vote, or what to think. This is what Martin Luther King’s dream was about, that we would have the freedom to not have to just say we have to stick together as a community and everything we do, and not have divergent views. HHR shows that Martin Luther King’s dream did come true, and that we are a vibrant people with different points of view. We can be a Republican or a Democrat and still have the opportunity to vote for black leaders and other leaders who share our ideas, because we are not subjugated to one party or one set of ideas.
Which black conservatives today would you say are following in the footsteps of civil rights leaders such as MLK and Malcolm X?
There are many. Michael Steele is center focus; he fully aligns himself as an HHR and that is actually how our blog got started There is also Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. All of these people are the first of their kind within the Republican community. Michael Steele is the first black chairman of the Republican Party. Colin Powell is the first African American to be secretary of state. Condoleezza Rice is the first woman to be secretary of state. This is a great lesson, to have so many black leaders who are coming from the Republican and conservative forts. This goes back to say that these leaders would be proud, because they can see we have a country where regardless if one person wants to be a Democrat or a Republican, they can aspire to be whoever they want to, regardless of race.
To many black citizens, Republicans have appeared to stand for a platform that is counter to the interests of black America. How do you account for this popular opinion?
In the past, Republicans have done a poor job and have not shown up in the black and minority communities. They have these small initiatives to do more outreach in the urban areas specifically, and they don’t know how to talk to urban people who would have conservative values and who do have conservative values. They vote Democrat because they don’t see the Republicans coming and talking to them. That is the fault of the Republicans as a whole for not showing up in urban areas until now. HHR are the ones showing up. That is part of being Republican in and of itself. We sit down and say, “Hey ,what are your needs?” and, “What do you want to do in your area?”
We often hear with the election of Obama that we are living in a post-racial society. Do you believe we are living in a post-racial society and that a color-blind society is what we should aim for?
I don’t feel as if I could make that value judgment. I think it is still a work in progress, and that this could be inspiration for all Americans of all colors: that we can aspire to do anything. Now, the thing about color blindness is that you are seeing that there is something wrong with color. We need to move towards more of a color-appreciation society, where we can appreciate each other’s diversity. Where we can look at the issues and get behind the color, because color is not the problem, but how people perceive color.
HHR emphasizes the importance of free-market systems, while also commenting on moral values that need to be asserted in the black community such as sexual virtue, patience and so on. How are we supposed to promote a free-market system and ignore the cultural effects it has had on black America?
One, you want to, again, self-empower. Free-market society can do harm, but it can do a lot of good. There is no better alternative than free-market society for those who like to live in a society with freedoms and liberty and who want to be able to accomplish prosperity. With that being said, yes, there have been some unfavorable depictions of our community. But we can use that free market society to do something about it. As you can see, there are plenty of black activists and performers who do something and portray themselves in a positive light. It is not as if someone is forcing artists and companies where we see images of black people. It is not white people in blackface; it is people in our community. We need to take the responsibility ourselves in changing this.
Can you name me your top five hip-hop artists who have made an album within the last ten years?
The Fugees, Jay-Z , Tabi Bonney , Mary J. Blige, Lil Wayne… also T-Pain.