MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — Black Republican delegates held their first-ever formal meeting at the Republican National Convention, headlined by a long list of black elected Republicans whose number has grown in the Trump era.
The event, which drew about 200 attendees, was sponsored by the Black Republican Mayors’ Association, and headlined by Richard Irving, the black Republican mayor of Aurora, Illinois — that state’s second-largest city after Chicago.
It was black voices, Irving said, that would “lead us to the Promised Land” of political victory.
Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) described the meeting as the fulfillment of a vision that he had ever since leaving the NFL in 1983. Thanks to the growth of the conservative movement among black voters, he said, black conservatives now had hope of rescuing black communities from Marxism, communism, and left-wing policies.
Several other elected officials addressed the gathering, including Reps. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Wesley Hunt (R-TX).
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) told the gathering that the movement of black conservatives “cannot be stopped.” Similar sentiments were expressed by other black officials.
The growth of black representation and participation in Republican politics has been a hallmark of the Trump era — somewhat ironically, as Trump is frequently cast by Democrats and the media as a racist.
Trump enjoys growing support from black voters, especially men, according to recent polls.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.