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Article: Will heartfelt penitence woo the black vote?(Republican Party and African Americans)
- Article from:
- Insight on the News
- Article date:
- September 2, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The seventies saw African-American intellectuals question the power of the Democratic Party in their community. Many wonder if a segment of the black vote could be the GOP's for the asking.
When Bob Dole rejected a speaking invitation from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, he indicated that black activists are part of the core constituency of the Democratic Party. Yet, 100 years ago, blacks were one constituency the GOP could take for granted in Kansas and wherever else they actually were allowed to vote.
For the half-century that followed the Civil War, the Democratic Party tended to stand for localism and the preservation of ...