Chicago Republicans

The Chicago Republican Party presents the series Then and Now. We at the Chicago Republican Party recognize that black voters overwhelmingly cast their ballots for Democratic candidates. Our question to the African American community is why? At some point we all need to stop and examine the return on our investment to see whether or not it is performing up to expectations. In this series, we are going to take the Democratic Party to task for its failures in addressing the pressing needs of Chicago's black community. We will also enumerate our party's platform; a platform that we believe will empower the black the community to achieve its dreams.

Many Chicago residents are unaware that despite Democratic promises, only 8% of Chicago City contracts actually go to minority businesses. A dismal 4% of county contracts are awarded to minorities. These statistics and many more make a strong case for black voters to reconsider their faithful allegiance to the Democratic machine. In this series we will go back in time to examine the relationship between African Americans and our nation’s two main political parties. In each of these 20 commentaries we will examine a particular issue through both a historical and contemporary lens.

Our humble request to the African American community is to reserve judgment until you have read and considered the facts. Prejudice and unfounded assumptions have long been the antagonists of the black community and we at the Chicago Republican Party want to strike a decisive blow against them. African Americans know how it feels to be pre-judged solely on the basis of skin color, clothing or manner of speech. Chicago Republicans can relate. Many times we are automatically assumed to be the enemy of the poor and the perpetrators of unjust social policies. We too find it difficult to gain a fair audience once people have identified us as Republicans. This rush to judgment must cease on all sides. For this series, we ask that the black community extend the same courtesy to us that they have fought for and so rightly deserve, the freedom to speak first and be judged second. Our challenge is this: Let us all lay down our stereotypes in order that the facts may emerge. We confidently extend the hand of welcome to any in the black community who would like to join us in reshaping Chicago for the betterment of all.

The Chicago Republican Party is proud of our party's history in fighting slavery and racism. We look forward to sharing our distinguished past and bold vision for the future with all those willing to listen. We welcome your feedback and thoughts. Please explore this section and contribute to the flow of ideas in our forum.