Talk:List of African-American Republicans

Discussion

Discussion welcome. Rammer (talk) 21:30, 8 March 2009 (UTC)

Should there be an "African-American Republicans" category? I think so. -- Erroneuz1 (talk) 23:11, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

I'm a new account and not comfortable with adding information just yet. However, thought I'd suggest the addition of William Lucas to this list. A long-time sheriff of Wayne County, Michigan and its first County Executive, Mr. Lucas was also the 1986 Republican nominee for Governor of Michigan.

http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/William_Lucas_%28Michigan%29 —Preceding unsigned comment added by DrAlleykatt (talk • contribs) 07:33, 5 January 2010 (UTC)

Don King has publicly endorsed Republican Presidential candidates for every election cycle in the last forty years.

Yaphet Kotto is an outspoken Republican who describes himself as a "liberal Republican." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.61.29.125 (talk) 11:53, 2 January 2014 (UTC)

Criteria (from AfD discussion)

At the AfD discussion many people raised questions about the proper scope of this article. There was agreement that the list should be limited to people with some degree of political notability. There was clear consensus that this is not a list of every African-American who is a member of the republican party and who has a wikipedia article. For example, someone who is notable for largely non-political reasons does not fit within this criteria.

This would include people who are notable for writing, entertaining, and other professions that are not directly political by nature. Of course if someone was notable for a reason related to electoral politics and also known for another reason, that would not exclude them from the criteria.

Please continue the discussion below. I have added an initial attempt at a criteria to the article. It is only a first attempt. But please discuss any changes here so we can reach consensus about the proper scope.

Similarly, relevant is if a name change would be required once a criteria is decided upon (or at least the scope makes it clear a name change is needed). Please hold off on that change until there's some time for discussion here. Shadowjams (talk) 06:02, 19 February 2010 (UTC)

• I'd limit it to people who are actually members of the Republican party. Not sure but maybe those who've donated substansively to the party as well (???) Casliber (talk · contribs) 20:52, 19 February 2010 (UTC)

• Of course. I think that's implicit. My understanding of the AfD discussion is that the scope is narrower--people whose career has some nexus with politics. Shadowjams (talk) 02:33, 21 February 2010 (UTC)

My personal opinion is that it should be strictly limited to politicians who are or were members of the party. Including donors arguably puts us back where we were before the AfD -- I'm willing to suppose that many of the entertainers, writers, etc., on that list, were donors, and donations aren't -necessarily- an indisputable indication of one's political party. Being both a politician and a member of a certain party, on the other hand, clearly does. That's where I think this hashes out (and that's my read on the spirit of the AfD's consensus). ɠǀɳ̩ςεΝɡbomb 19:54, 21 February 2010 (UTC)

Let me try to sum up some of the AfD discussion, and the discussion here. Inclusion requires two criteria:

1. Republican party membership (the level of proof necessary can be discussed on individual entries), and
2. Some nexus with politics.

The second requirement is obvious in cases of politicians, judges, and Republican party officials. It probably also qualifies for non-profit political organizations: things like the ACLU or the NRA or AARP. Does anyone have any ideas about how to word this second criteria? Shadowjams (talk) 20:27, 25 February 2010 (UTC)

• "Direct, professional work in politics." Or something less open-to-interpretation like that. I think "some nexus" opens up a substantial amount of interpretation possibilities, although admittedly many avenues of interpretation are closed by the first bullet. Any other ideas? ɠǀɳ̩ςεΝɡbomb 23:00, 25 February 2010 (UTC)

• I think that's a very good wording actually. Shadowjams (talk) 00:25, 26 February 2010 (UTC)

What criteria was used to include Harriet Tubman on this list of Black Republicans? She died in 1913 and the 19th Amendment wasn't passed until 1920. We can accurately classify her as a suffragist, but I know of no evidence that she was a Republican. ALPILO (talk) 00:32, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

The national suffrage status doesn't mean women couldn't be part of political parties, nor does it mean that states didn't have limited female suffrage or political involvement before. As for the specific one, I'm not sure, if it's unproven then do a little bit of research and remove it. But just referring to the 19th amendment isn't enough. And if you find a citation, then add it (as should all entries). Shadowjams (talk) 10:51, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

Keyes

I don't think that Alan Keyes should be listed on here anymore, as he ran for president as an Independant; so it can only be assumed that he is no longer a member of the Republican Party. -BLM Platinum (talk) 02:21, 26 February 2010 (UTC)

True, although he did have his most prominent roles as a Republican. Maybe it should indicate (former). Shadowjams (talk) 03:04, 26 February 2010 (UTC)

Alveda King and Martin Luther King Jr.

This edit added Martin Luther King Jr. as a Republican to the article, but it does not have a source. I believe his entry's been removed from this list at least once before. In either case, it needs a citation, as there appears to be some controversy on this point. For example, see this article and also the wiki entry on Alveda King. Both of those demonstrate there's some controversy on this point.

I added a CN tag to that entry, as well as to the Alveda King entry. Ms. King served as a Democrat in the Georgia legislature. The article cited above says "In the late 1970s, King was elected to the Georgia state Legislature, where she served two terms as a Democrat -- a period she is not eager to recount." While the article suggests she has supported conservative political causes, I did not find where it mentioned her political affiliation. Shadowjams (talk) 01:26, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

I found another link where she calls herself non-partisan, but others have called her Republican: "Alveda King said she’s non-partisan, though, and has served as an elected official in both parties, Democrat and Republican, in her past. She doesn’t care which party says what, but only about her uncle’s message of peace, love and unity." [1]. Shadowjams (talk) 01:31, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

Judge Joe Brown

I remember hearing about him endorsing a Republican congressional candidate in the 2010 race. I don't know any more than that, though, about his affiliation. J390 (talk) 23:16, 21 May 2011 (UTC)

I noticed there isn't a page for 'African-American Democrats'

So why not? I mean, if race is that important an issue that we ought to create a page for black Republicans, why not balance it out with one for Democrats? WikiGavel (talk) 02:42, 29 October 2011 (UTC)

Go ahead and create it. This page was nominated for deletion and succeeded. I don't think every permutation of notable characteristics are in themselves notable, but some seem to. This page describes a minority confluence, which is a widely covered and discussed fact. The page you're proposing is not, and I doubt that it adds much to the encyclopedia. Then again, day to day, AfD has an inclusionist bias, until the broader community notices something amiss (like the State relations articles) so I'm sure it might fly. But you might also ask if it warrants a separate page, and adds anything, before doing it. Shadowjams (talk) 09:41, 29 October 2011 (UTC)

Herman Cain

How does Herman Cain pass the criteria, "worked in a direct, professional capacity in politics."?? Either drop him or change the criteria in the intro, please. Sadsaque (talk) 07:51, 11 November 2012 (UTC)

The man was a serious contender for the Republican nomination. How does that not meet the criteria? Shadowjams (talk) 12:07, 11 November 2012 (UTC)

You want to qualify "serious"? Because I can define "professional" all day long. Just because he was at the top of the field for a few days a year before the election doesn't even make him a real politician. Didn't Trump do the same? Sadsaque (talk) 02:21, 8 December 2012 (UTC)

No need to qualify it. He was a serious candidate. Trump would be too if he was African-American. On a list that has local officials, it's not at all out of place to have a major presidential candidate. If you need a referesher go look at the Republican Party presidential primaries, 2012 article. Shadowjams (talk) 14:05, 8 December 2012 (UTC)

Just to understand, you're saying that Trump doesn't qualify, but he would if he was black? When I say you should "qualify" his standing as a professional plitician, what I mean is that you need a definition that anyone should meet, not simply, "I just said he was; therefore he is." Sadsaque (talk) 22:16, 19 December 2012 (UTC)

Herman Cain was a professional politician. Being a major presidential candidate will do that for you. End of story. That's my position. If you disagree, I would say we need input from other people, however this talk page isn't especially busy... I'm not sure the best place to find outside opinions... there are a few areas for that. WP:Third opinion would probably be the start, if you want to pursue that. Shadowjams (talk) 02:35, 20 December 2012 (UTC)

Removal of my recent contribution

I recently added several names to the list, mostly recent nominees for various races, but also locally elected officials. All of this has been removed, including current political officials like Lynn Hutchings, James White and Jackie Winters. Why is that?? Niceley (talk) 16:26, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

I apologize for removing those three Notable people. I have added them back. The rest were removed because they didn't have Wikipedia articles demonstrating their WP:Notability. Most were only candidates for congressional or state wide offices, which aren't typically granted articles. The ones that held statewide office might be WP:Notable, but long before I started paroling this list there was consensus here to only add people who have already been vetted for notability with their own article. There's even a little editors note at the top of the page. --Dkriegls (talk to me!) 17:07, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

I see.. You also removed Willie Talton (member of the Georgia General Assembly), T.W. Shannon (Oklahoma’s Speaker of the House), Boyd Rutherford (Maryland Secretary of General Services), Mike Hill (member of the Florida House of Representatives), Darius Foster (member of the Alabama House of Representatives) and Donald Blakely (member of the Delaware House of Representatives). Niceley (talk) 20:10, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

Niceley, I removed them because none of them had linked biography articles establishing their notability (Mike Hill needing to be linked to Mike Hill (politician)). I guess I didn't make that clear. This is not a holding list with red links. Because too many IP users edit it and try to add non-notable people to the list, keeping red links for notable people just makes it harder to explain why their non-notable red link was removed. It's simply less work for editors of this list to keep it simple and add only names with blue linked articles establishing their notability. If you believe these names meet Wikipedia:Notability (people) (specifically WP:POLITICIAN), then please first create biography articles for them. Note that just being an elective official does not establish WP:Notability. I'll ask that as a courtesy that you remove the names you just added back so that there is no confusion while you create the articles. Cheers Dkriegls (talk to me!) 23:03, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

What about Black Republicans such as Jendayi Frazer, Cora Brown, Ruth A. Davis, Ezola B. Foster, Stefani Carter, Althea Garrison, Julia Pearl Hughes, Kay Coles James, Ada Fisher, Lurita Doan, Andrea Barthwell, Ethel D. Allen, and Yvonne Brown? Does any of these qualify for the list? Niceley (talk) 10:31, 14 September 2014 (UTC)

As long as they "have worked in a direct, professional capacity in politics." It appears Jendayi Frazer, Cora Brown, Ruth A. Davis, Stefani Carter, Althea Garrison, Kay Coles James, Ada Fisher, Lurita Doan, Andrea Barthwell, and Ethel D. Allen all meet the inclusion criterion. --Dkriegls (talk to me!) 07:33, 15 September 2014 (UTC)

The biographies of Ezola B. Foster and Julia Pearl Hughes don't indicate any relationship with the Republican party aside from being unsuccessful candidates. I don't consider applying for the job to be the same thing as having "worked" there. They would both need citations demostrating the positions they held within the Republican party. I suspect Julia Pearl Hughes might have held a postioin, but all of her political work listed in her biography are for political organizations not affiliated with the Republican party. Ezola B. Foster might be harder. She seems at odds with the Republican party and only ran as a candidate. I would be surprised if she ever worked for them. Finally, Yvonne Brown's biography does not establish her Notability and likely should be deleted. Dkriegls (talk to me!) 07:33, 15 September 2014 (UTC)

Thank you!! I have added the ones that fit the criteria. Lastly, could you please help me figure out if some of these people could be added as well? Anna Simms Banks, Kirt Bennett, Archie Alexander, Walter G. Alexander, Aris T. Allen, James W. Ames, Robin Armstrong, Richard E. Jackson, Bruce Harris, Robert C. Henry, Martin G. Barnes, Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs, Donald Blakey, Claude M. Bolton, Jr., Reginald J. Brown, William Owen Bush, Richard H. Cain, Francis Lewis Cardozo, Archibald Carey, Jr., Juan Chastang, Walter L. Cohen, Abram Colby, Frank Cousins (American politician), Charles C. Diggs, Sr., Antoine Dubuclet, Clark Ervin, James Evans (Utah politician), Crystal Bird Fauset, William A. Feilds, Mifflin Wistar Gibbs, Ron Givens, Green Currin, A. C. Hamlin, James H. Harris (NC politician), Paul Clinton Harris, Lewis Hayden, Henry E. Hayne, Andrew Honeycutt, George B. Jackson, Conrad James, Ronald J. James, Edward A. Johnson, Peter K. Jones, Scipio Africanus Jones, Philip Joseph (politician), Charles Henry Langston, Clinton LeSueur, William H. Lewis, Nic Lott, William Lucas (Michigan), Leo Mackay, Jr., Edward P. McCabe, William Madison McDonald, Ron Miller (politician), Benjamin F. Randolph, Matthew Ricketts, Frederick Madison Roberts, Joseph Jenkins Roberts, Brian C. Roseboro, Paul H. Scott, John W. Shannon, Thomas S. Smith (New Jersey), Clay Smothers, McCants Stewart, Carl Stokes (Baltimore), Milton Street, Louis Wade Sullivan, Arthur Teele, Larry Thompson, John Francis Wheaton, George Henry White, LaMetta Wynn, and James H. Young. Niceley (talk) 19:49, 15 September 2014 (UTC)

Well that is a lot. Nice finds. Here are the ones I don't think qualify: Carl Stokes (Baltimore), it says he ran as a Democrat, no mention of Republican party. The biographies of Brian C. Roseboro, John W. Shannon, and Ronald J. James do not mention anywhere that they are Republican. Joseph Jenkins Roberts was a member of the Republican Party (Liberia). This list is for the US Republican party. Charles C. Diggs, Sr., Andrew Honeycutt, Philip Joseph (politician), Clinton LeSueur, and William Lucas (Michigan) all never held any political office as Republicans. They were only Republican candidates (some held office, but as Democrats). The rest look clear by me. Dkriegls (talk to me!) 06:47, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

Party affiliation of Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman

Today I see a new editor has removed Tubman from this list, giving a perfectly reasonable edit summary which claims an authorized biography of the subject says nothing about Republican party affiliation. Another new user reverted this while I researched the claim. I notice Sojourner Truth has appeared on this list for a long time, but I don't see anything in the wikipedia page or the sourcing which reports a party affiliation. I'll confess I don't know the sources in this area myself. It seems logical to me that, lacking the franchise, party affiliation seems superfluous. It seems decidedly unlikely to me that either woman would have been allowed to have registered as a member of an established political party given the era's prevalent attitudes about women in politics. That said, I don't know what is reported by multiple secondary reliable sources independent of the subject. Anyone care to weigh in? If this is the beginning of an edit war, perhaps we ought to look at this claim of party connection right away. BusterD (talk) 02:05, 21 April 2016 (UTC)

I would not be surprised if names are on the list due to revisionism. Zzsignup (talk) 18:36, 23 April 2016 (UTC)

Don't you know that all African Americans have to belong to a single political party? Today we're all Demoncrats; 125 years ago, we were all Repugnicans. (rolling my eyes) This very long list has only 14 footnotes (although one of them has three links in it), which means it's woefully unsourced. — Malik Shabazz ^Talk/_Stalk 01:31, 24 April 2016 (UTC)

The description of this list states clearly, "This list is limited to black Americans who have worked in a direct, professional capacity in politics." It's been obvious for some time that revisionists of the "the party of David Duke is still the party of Lincoln" ilk are trying to pad the list as thoroughly as possible. --Orange Mike | Talk 23:12, 30 April 2016 (UTC)

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Why does this exist but not "List of African-American Democrats"?

Seriously, what's up with that? If this is worth a Wiki page then surely that does as well. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 104.32.238.180 (talk) 21:47, 6 May 2016 (UTC)

Leo J Smith

Leo J Smith's name on the list has been edited out by mshabazz as one without proof of being a Republican or African American. A simple google search (leo smith & republican) and search of the Georgia Repuplican Party website cites him as African American and Reoublican. Also see www.gabrc.com. He is well covered in news sources. Gopengsgement (talk) 00:00, 12 September 2016 (UTC)

The name of the game is bring your own sources. (See WP:BLP: "Contentious material about living persons ... that is unsourced or poorly sourced – whether the material is negative, positive, neutral, or just questionable – should be removed immediately and without waiting for discussion.") I don't have to do a "simple Google search"; you have to provide a source that says Smith is a Republican. (The sources you've provided identify him as African American.) This is the third time you have failed to do so. If it were really so easy, why would you ask me to find a source for you? — Malik Shabazz ^Talk/_Stalk 01:27, 12 September 2016 (UTC)

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Walter Williams

Is Dr. Walter Williams a Republican? I can't find anything that confirms his party affiliation. SunCrow (talk) 05:53, 12 October 2018 (UTC)

There's no source cited, and his Wikipedia biography doesn't make the claim but is included inappropriately in two categories of Republicans. I'm going to remove him from this list per WP:BLP and WP:V. If somebody presents a reliable source that indicates he's a African-American Republican, he should be restored. — Malik Shabazz ^Talk/_Stalk 02:04, 13 October 2018 (UTC)

Thanks, Malik Shabazz. SunCrow (talk) 00:12, 14 October 2018 (UTC)

Mia Love

User:Hornets23 recently removed the entry on Rep. Mia Love on the grounds that Rep. Love is of Haitian-American descent, and is therefore not African-American. I wanted to seek input from other editors on this. The issue is: Are Haitian-Americans African-American? SunCrow (talk)

Regardless of what individual editors think, do reliable sources generally refer to Love as African-American or as Black? — Malik Shabazz ^Talk/_Stalk 01:24, 5 November 2018 (UTC)

From what I have seen, she is typically referred to as Black. SunCrow (talk) 02:31, 5 November 2018 (UTC)

Move discussion in progress

There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:African-American gospel which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. —RMCD bot 23:19, 18 February 2019 (UTC)

People I would consider adding

Keith Jackson - owner of the blacksphere Anthony Brian Logan - well known YouTuber Brandon Tatum - well known YouTuber Kanye West P Diddy 50 Cent David Webb - Fox news host Charles Payne - Fox business host Aglo123 (talk) 14:40, 7 May 2020 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

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Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 09:22, 20 September 2022 (UTC)

Incorrect Title

The title of this article is incorrect. There are several Caribbeans\Caribbean Americans listed here which is not a problem, but the simple fact remains that they are not African American. African American is the name of a specific ethnicity, not a catch all term for every Black citizen or resident of the United States. to be more inclusive and factually correct, the title absolutely needs to be changed to "List of *Black American Republicans". Nostradamme (talk) 06:02, 16 September 2024 (UTC)