Not sell outs, Uncle Tom's, or Aunt Jemima's: African American Republicans and their reasons for affliating with the GOP

Shavonne Renee Shorter, Purdue University

Abstract

Previous work on identification informed us that people desire to join groups that are perceived favorably by others and that enhance a person’s self esteem (Tajfel & Turner, 1986). However for one group, African American Republicans, this is not the case. African American Republicans often are called racial epithets such as Uncle Tom’s, Aunt Jemima’s and Sell Outs because of their group membership, labels which would suggest that this group is not perceived favorably. Additionally the numbers of African Americans who are in the Republican Party are low. As of 2008, only 4% of African American voters identified as Republicans (Pew Research Center, 2008). Furthermore, historically, the GOP has not been known for being the home of diverse groups nor has it tended to court potential voters based on race or other markers of diversity (Connaughton & Jarvis, 2004b; Freeman, 1986).Thus, why would an African American identify with this party? The purpose of this study was to answer the research question “Why do African Americans identify with the Republican Party?” Drawing on various theoretical perspectives and guided by a social constructionist approach, this question was addressed by conducting interviews with 36 African American Republicans of varying genders, occupations, ages, and geographic locations. The study reveals five key reasons for identification: (a) they construct themselves as free, independent; thinkers who arrived at the Republican Party on their own and through their own research; (b) they construct themselves as conservatives; (c) they construct themselves as courageous individuals; (d) they construct the GOP as the historical home of African Americans (e) they believe they have the opportunity to shape the party in many ways from holding prominent positions within the party, to giving helpful feedback that may help the party increase the numbers of African Americans that vote with the Party. This study contributes to identification scholarship by demonstrating how members of minoritized groups (African Americans) can identify with organizations (Republican Party) that do not engage a key facet of their identity (race). I suggest that African American Republicans identify with the GOP to rupture two dominant narratives: (a) that African Americans affiliate politically based exclusively on the partisan affiliations of the previous familial generation; (b) and that the Democratic Party is the political home of African Americans. Implications for intersectionality scholarship and the study of vernacular dialogue are also discussed.

Degree

M.A.

Advisors

Connaughton, Purdue University.

Subject Area

African American Studies|Black studies|Communication|Political science

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