Full disclosure before you judge me as the author of this piece based solely on the title, I’m a Black woman who grew up in rural WV and considers herself a Liberal, Progressive Christian. It’s complicated.
I know that Black people are diverse, are not a monolith, and cannot be defined by a political party or culturally ambiguous labels. “Liberal, Progressive Christian” should be a political modifier that the public may use to understand my political views. However, in our society it will be used to judge my character and morals. It’s human nature and I’m not immune to the same judgment against others based on their self-imposed labels, ambiguous or not. I will likely draw my own conclusions and judge you accordingly.
Which brings me to the conundrum of the rationale for labeling oneself a Fiscal Conservative if you are Black. I have the audacity, the intelligence, the lived experiences, and I believe the right, to respectfully and constructively question the agenda of so called “Black Fiscal Conservatives,”. The terms “Fiscal Conservative” and “Black” in my mind and other socially-conscience “woke folk,” are diametrically opposed and here’s why.
Conservative fiscal policies that constrain programs specifically enacted to help minorities gain some leverage in a country steeped in systemic racism is like saying, “We (you Blacks) have overcome.”
Perhaps the comments of the US Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell (KY-R), when asked if a committee should be convened to study the mere idea of reparations to Black Americans, can better illustrate the point I am attempting to make. McConnell specifically stated reparations “would not be a good idea” because “We tried to deal with our original sin of slavery by fighting a civil war, by passing landmark civil rights legislation, elected an African American president.”
The implication that I swear I heard aloud was ‘what more do you people want?’
Fiscally Conservative Blacks were, in my mind, pre-selected, invited to a gathering by Fiscally Conservative White people and served a purple Kool-aide mixture that apparently has no antidote, thus the Candace Owens’ and Ben Carson’s of the world.
As a researcher, I do not make these allegations from pure conjecture. There is statistical evidence, researched and published consistently, that proves Liberal Fiscal Policies benefit all minorities, but especially Black Americans, more so than Conservative Fiscal Policies.
According to studies conducted by Scholars Strategy Network, the income of Black Families increased by a net of $895 annually during the presidencies of Democratic presidents and their Liberal Fiscal Policies. Conversely, during the presidencies of Republican presidents and their Conservative Fiscal Policies, the income of Black Families netted gains of $142 annually. That’s a stark contrast to defend whether you’re Black or White, no?
Similarly, their studies found that the Black unemployment rate decreased by a net of 7.9% during the presidencies of Democratic presidents, but increased during Republican control by a net of 13.7%. There are more statistics just like this from this source and several others.
This data is not conjecture, but strong evidence that minorities, specifically Black Americans benefit from Fiscal Policies that are Liberal and influenced by social justice.
The strong statistical evidence of the benefits of Liberal Fiscal Policies informs my rationale that Black Fiscal Conservatives subscribe to the notion that Black people have overcome and that the balance of economic opportunity has been achieved despite the statistics. The construct of systemic racism and the people who built it and continue to make additions to it, still exists. They use Fiscal Conservative Policies to secure the foundation of that system.
The Black Fiscal Conservative is conveying the message to other Black people and the White Fiscal Conservatives who lead them, ‘I’ve got mine. You get yours.’
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