Back in the 1960’s the Demos were successful in explaining away their history by saying the racists left their party and became Republicans. No pushback from the the then Republicans so history was distorted for those who didn’t know better.
The GOP-e of the day, the Country Club Rockefeller Republicans, didn’t do themselves any favors, either. They looked at blacks as the waiters and janitors of the country club. At least they made it easy to get painted with that brush. Real conservatives would have given everyone the opportunity to go as far as their talents, ability and work ethic could take them.
The pity is that in the early 1960s, American blacks were starting to take advantage of new opportunities. They were becoming a rising and prosperous middle class, and doing it the right way based on family, church, study and work. Given a generation or two, and Ferguson and Baltimore might not have happened.
But the democrats under LBJ made sure they were herded back on to the plantation.