Free Republic

The story of Black conservatism begins in the aftermath of the Civil War. Freedmen who sought to rebuild their lives aligned with the Republican Party—the party of Lincoln—championing abolition, civil rights, and Reconstruction. Leaders like Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington personified this era, urging self-reliance, education, and economic empowerment as the path to equality. Yet, by the mid-20th century, the tectonic plates of American politics shifted. The Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Civil Rights Era drew Black Americans into the Democratic fold. The Republican Party’s pivot toward a “Southern Strategy” further alienated Black voters, leading to the...

President Donald Trump on Thursday appointed Alice Marie Johnson, a woman he pardoned during his first term, as "pardon czar." The announcement came during a Black History Month event at the White House. The "pardon czar" will be responsible for making recommendations about who should be granted clemency. Johnson was convicted of nonviolent drug trafficking in Memphis, Tennessee, and after serving 21 years, her life sentence was commuted by Trump. Reality television star Kim Kardashian West met with Trump at the White House a week prior to her release to discuss the great-grandmother's case. While Johnson claims she never "touched,...

February marks Black History Month, a tradition that got its start in the Jim Crow era and was officially recognized in 1976 as part of the nation's bicentennial celebrations. It aims to honor the contributions that African Americans have made and to recognize their sacrifices. Here are three things to know about Black History Month: It was Negro History Week before it was Black History Month In 1926, Carter G. Woodson, the scholar often referred to as the "father of Black history," established Negro History Week to focus attention on Black contributions to civilization. According to the NAACP, Woodson —...

Because he was such an icon, he was able to have Black artists on TV when they were often not welcomed nor wanted elsewhere.I cannot recall when I first heard the name Ed Sullivan, but it certainly had to have been when I was a ghetto youth coming of age in the 1970s and 1980s. I initially connected his name with music superstars Elvis Presley and The Beatles, and their now legendary appearances on his variety show. I was intrigued by how he introduced musical guests, his mightily distinctive diction, his genuinely low-key demeanor. But I had no clue,...

Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman has turned on Black History Month and declared he “detests it.” The Hollywood star known for his roles in The Shawshank Redemption and The Dark Knight trilogy made plain his antipathy in an interview, critically appraising the annual event that takes place every February across the country. Freeman told Variety in an exchange with journalist Marta Balaga the very idea makes his “teeth itch” and he prefers the broader sweep of the entire arc of American history: I detest it. The mere idea of it. You are going to give me the shortest month in a...

The Biden-Harris campaign is launching a series of radio, print and digital ads targeting Black voters in battleground states. The ads, according to the reelection campaign, will highlight promises President Biden kept to Black Americans over the last four years. Two radio ads — “Reflect,” which runs for 30 seconds, and “Remarkable,” which is a minute long — will run Feb. 14-26 in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Detroit, Phoenix, Raleigh, N.C., and Charlotte, N.C.

WASHINGTON _ Black historians read passages from banned books last week in a local park in Florida. In Washington, D.C., Black congressional lawmakers that same week hosted panels on preserving Black history at a conference. And in Pennsylvania, a 91-year-old pastor reached out to an expert in South Carolina to help his church set up Black history lessons. They are part of a growing movement across the country of educators, lawmakers, civil rights activists and church leaders who say there is a renewed urgency to teach Black history in the wake of a crackdown on Black scholars and inclusive lesson...

Self-proclaimed “Demon Buster” Florida Rep. Kimberly Daniels, D-Jacksonville, made controversial statements in the past that are now coming back to haunt her. Daniels, now a member of the African American History Task Force, is in the hot seat, along with the rest of the task force this week, regarding newly adopted standards for Black History education that some partisan politicians believe downplay the horrors of slavery. Daniels has tried to distance herself from the controversy and the DeSantis administration on the heels of Vice President Kamala Harris’s loud and inaccurate criticism. Still, past comments she’s made thanking God for slavery,...

"The View" co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin offered a mea culpa after she faced backlash for making an erroneous claim about Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. On Thursday's broadcast, Farah Griffin accused DeSantis of "erasing" Black history for opposing the AP African American History course, which had a curriculum he said included a "political agenda." After Fox News Digital ran a report Friday morning about the fiery criticism she received, Farah Griffin took to Twitter and acknowledged she "accidentally misrepresented" DeSantis, a lightning rod for criticism in mainstream media and a rumored 2024 presidential hopeful. "Sooo I got tripped up on...

A black California businessman demanded $600,000 from California taxpayers during the first meeting of the state's reparations task force on Wednesday. Deliberations began on how to quantify how financial compensation might be calculated and what might be required to prove eligibility. One of those who spoke at the public hearing was 35-year-old entrepreneur and the first black professional tri-athlete, Max Fennell...He concluded his remarks by saying: 'The tangibles of what I'm asking for is $350,000 per black American in California that's tangible, small business grant $250,000 and land 15-20 acres.' ... ...California senate candidate Deon Jenkins spoke at the hearing...

At a time when we’re dealing with a war in Europe plus all sorts of issues in this country including crushing inflation that the war will only make worse, we have in charge Joe Biden, who frequently seems to not understand what is going on. He came back from Delaware on Monday and attended a Black History Month event with his wife and Kamala Harris. We reported earlier about how Jill Biden called Harris “president.” Meanwhile, Harris had her own creepy cringeworthy moment and appeared to make a swipe at Biden. But when Biden started talking, he managed the trifecta...

February is Black History Month. Why do we need Black History Month? Why don't we set aside special occasions to observe the history of other ethnicities in our country? My answer to this question is that Black history tells a uniquely important story in our nation. It is a story that no other race or ethnicity shares. It is a story that must be grasped and understood if we are to understand our country as a whole, where it has been and where it needs to go. Unique among a large percentage of Black Americans is a history in which...

Larry Elder takes the opportunity this Black History Month to investigate certain myths surrounding Black history and why some people think Black History Month is not necessary.

It was billed as a land of promise — a place where free Black Americans could obtain more political rights and a better quality of life. Liberia did not receive its name until 1824, but the territory that became its capital city was purchased on Dec. 15, 1821. Almost exactly 200 years later, a Liberian historian has discovered that original purchase agreement — a document missing since 1835 that sheds light on the acquisition of the only U.S. colony in Africa.

Amazon has shown its true colors, once again, when it comes to celebrating and appreciating diversity: if your ideals don’t align with the team-left narrative, you will not be celebrated. In the midst of Black History Month, Amazon pulled a critically acclaimed and popular documentary on conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, the only black justice currently serving on the Supreme Court, from its streaming platform. The documentary, “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,” is “currently unavailable to watch in your location,” the website reads when the title is clicked. The outage appears to be nationwide, as reported by Breitbart.Amazon...

Each year, Black History Month allows us to reflect on so many great Black Americans who’ve contributed to the success of our nation. We reflect on the contributions of many well-known and not so well-known Black Americans. As we come to the end of another Black History Month, it's critical that we draw more attention to one group that has not gotten nearly enough attention – the Black inventor.Thousands of African American inventors have transformed America. Black inventors have created groundbreaking products for centuries ranging from Lewis Lattimer, who helped construct a commercially viable lightbulb, to Marshall Jones, who pioneered...

When I attended last year’s White House Black History Month reception, it appeared few of us took note that it was the 50th anniversary of such observances. Then George Floyd and Black Lives Matter happened, seemingly changing things forever—particularly a reevaluation of the black experience. Concerted efforts to commemorate black history go back almost a century. In 1926, black historian Carter G. Woodson designated the second week in February as “Negro History Week.” He selected the days between the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln on the 12th and Frederick Douglass on the 20th.

A Pennsylvania school is under fire after fifth graders were reportedly forced to celebrate black communism and hold a mock "Black Power" rally amid Black History Month celebrations. What are the details? Students in one Philadelphia elementary school were allegedly forced to celebrate "black communism" and endure a mock Black Power rally in order to "free" Angela Davis, outspoken radical political activist, from "jail." Christopher Rufo, a contributing editor at the City Journal, detailed the alleged activities — which he says were outlined by whistleblower documents — and said that he spoke with a school source that corroborated the details....

A Cleveland man on death row for killing 11 women died of natural causes in a prison hospital on Monday, a report said. Anthony Sowell, 61, who earned the nickname “Cleveland strangler” for the murders, was convicted and sentenced in 2011 for the killings. He had a terminal illness and died at Franklin Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, an official told WJW. Relatives of Sowell’s victims were relieved to hear of his death. “I am glad he is dead,” Donnita Carmichael, daughter of victim Tonia Carmichael, told the network.

“Should you, my lord, while you peruse my song, Wonder from whence my love of Freedom sprung, Whence flow these wishes for the common good, By feeling hearts alone best understood, I, young in life, by seeming cruel fate Was snatch’d from Afric’s fancy’d happy seat . . . . Such, such my case. And can I then but pray Others may never feel tyrannic sway?” -To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth By Phillis Wheatley Phillis Wheatley, an eighteenth century poet born in West Africa, arrived on American soil in 1761 around the age of eight. Captured for...