Black Republican group breaks political mold

Despite the prominence of figures such as Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, black Republicans have been traditionally few and far between.

College freshman Sean-Tamba Matthew is working to change that.

He has established a Black Republican group on campus that began inconspicuously on thefacebook.com -- an online student directory -- about a month ago. Some people joined, but not many students took it seriously.

Eventually, Matthew established a base of support from which he plans to expand. Currently there are only five active members, but there more have expressed interest.

"It's just to show that black Republicans exist," Matthew said. "A lot of people laugh ... but we want to let [black students] know there's another option."

Though the group was mostly quiet in the period before the national election, Matthew is serious in his aims for providing a forum for like-minded black students.

Matthew's devotion to Republican ideals supercedes racial lines, although he said he would like to see greater minority representation in elected office.

"If there's a minority candidate out there, we'll help them out," he said.

Yet he ruled out the possibility of voting for a black Democrat, including one running for president.

"If he's not following party lines, I don't see why we would vote for him," he said. "I'm not going to vote for someone just because he's African American."

With roots in a liberal community in Cleveland, supporting the Republicans was not a natural choice for Matthew, whose parents are Democrats. He noted though, that his mother is socially conservative, and their shared emphasis on the family unit attracted him to the Republicans.

"Family values are issues that really affect the African American community," he said. He added that in some areas the family structure had been totally destroyed and that a Republican approach would be beneficial.

The belief in the morality of the Republican Party is common among other members of the group, such as Wharton freshman Peter Handy.

Handy said he admired the integrity of Republican values.

"It's a very wholesome, no bullshit kind of party," he said.

Democratic policies are typically viewed as providing greater aid to blacks, particularly to those who are among the poorest. Matthew called this perception a myth, citing his own experience as a counterexample of how Democratic economic policies can be harmful.

"The effects of egregious taxes on the community, of government arbitrarily increasing the tax base" can hurt the people they are supposed to help, Matthew said. "My parents really have struggled [as] taxes sucked their income away."

His familiarity with the downside of some government policies may serve as a publicity tool the group will use to try to attract black voters.

"Sharing his facts and experience," could be helpful, Handy said. "Most people are unaware of what kind of effect Republicans can have on the working class."

Matthew and Handy are both well aware that they face an uphill battle in their efforts to turn the Black Republicans into a genuine force. Penn is a mostly liberal campus and African American support for Democrats remains solid, they said.

"Before the election I put a Bush poster on my door," Matthew said. "Within an hour and a half it was ripped down and put in a trash can."

Nonetheless, both Matthew and Handy think that conducting major campaign efforts in black communities will be possible by the next election. They plan to start at the grassroots level, garnering support from the next generation.

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