This sort of thing shouldn’t really be newsworthy but in our polarized political climate it really is. It’s also notable because our college campuses have become such hotbeds of leftism.
The College Fix has the story:
Black College Democrat turns Republican: How one millennial decided to think for himself
Growing up, Jimmie Williams’ family and friends supported the Democrat Party. So naturally, he decided he too was a Democrat. But the older he got, the more he questioned the political path that seemed predetermined for him.
He suppressed his doubts, telling The College Fix in an email interview dissenters are branded traitors to the black community. In private, however, his concerns grew — even as he took on leadership roles within the University of Memphis College Democrats and the College Democrats of Tennessee.
Then, in 2014, Williams attended a meeting of the College Republicans at the University of Memphis as a sort of peace gesture. Hearing the Republican principles espoused at the meeting, and the friendliness of his conservative peers who welcomed him with “open arms,” ultimately began his journey to leaving the Democratic Party and registering as a Republican, he said.
“On April 1, 2015, I officially switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party and I never looked back,” Williams told The Fix.
“A lot of black people, if you ask them in private about how they feel on certain issues, the vast majority of them have a conservative mindset … when it comes to abortion, gun rights, education, the growth of the economy, and jobs — but they have to stick to the path or hell will rain on them,” Williams said, adding that’s exactly what has happened to him.
He said since his switch, he has been called “Uncle Tom, A House Negro, A Sellout, A Coon, A Dark Skin White Boy” and other names.
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“I have lost friends and gained friends,” said Williams, 23, a junior majoring in political science.
Louis Focht, president of the College Republicans at the University of Memphis, said Williams has been a great addition to the group.
“I am not very sure how people saw Jimmie when he switched, but I do remember other College Republicans reacting in a positive way when he changed, and we were thrilled and surprised,” Focht said.
Williams said he does not like what he considers a certain level of hypocrisy within the black community.
Good for this student for having his own mind.
One of the problems we’re having in academia is with groupthink.
(Image is a screen cap)
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