The Black Vote is arguably the most important vote for the Democratic Party to win. However, many Black American voters are now looking to invest in Candidates on the other side. With all of the stigma behind "Conservatives", it can be very difficult to understand why anyone Black would vote that way; but more Black Conservatives are speaking out about why they believe the conservative way may be the best way.
Are we missing something? We wanted to know more . Black Conservative , Artist , and Grapevine Contributor Jimmy Tousant spoke with Juxtaposition on why he is conservative.
Who are you?
I’m Jimmy Toussaint. I’m at the ripe old age of 34. Millennials are grown now. I actually get called “The Prettiest Republican on Facebook” by close friends of mine; in a sort of tongue in cheek way. It started when I was in school. Sometimes girls would argue with me in my threads and then like all my selfies, and my friends would see it and laugh at the irony. It was an indicator that I was “problematic” but still fair play. I like ironies. It keeps things interesting.
Where are you from?
I’m from NYC.
Tell us about what life was like for you growing up. How has that impacted your views on the world and politics?
It’s so hard to give a short answer. I’ll try. I’m sort of what you would call a hybrid. I was raised in a very violent neighborhood. I was headed in the wrong direction. I went to 4 different Junior High Schools. I went to the worst high school you could have ever attended in Brooklyn. It was called Erasmus.
I was an absolute nuisance at that school. I got kicked out when I was a Freshman, which is quite the accomplishment, and then I was sent to my father in Massachusetts. My parents had split when I was younger. My father lived in the suburbs. That’s where I learned how to speak English and wear clothes that fit properly. Even though I spent most of my life in a violent neighborhood, I came of age in the suburbs of Massachusetts, so that’s what ended up sticking. I sound like and move like I grew up there even though I was just there for a couple of years. I guess ages 15 to 18 is a young man’s most important years.
Have you always identified as Conservative or had Conservative views? If not what made you shift?
You have to understand something really important about me for you to understand why “Conservative” is the only thing I can be. My family is from Haiti. In my family’s lineage are generals, politicians, the works. In my family are also men that have killed more Europeans than you can even imagine. So, when I look at the world, I look at it through the lens of someone that can dominate at the highest level, despite my class, my race,and even my gender. I have too many real life examples of this. Little known fact, the Haitian revolutionary army was 30% female. We had black women going toe to toe with Napoleon’s army and straight washing these boys. It is important that I talk about this history because it ties into who I am and why I always end up having really difficult discussions as a “Conservative” with other black people here in the states. I live in a world where we are “capable” and “we can” achieve what we want, we just make poor choices as a group. They live in a world where changes can’t happen without “structural changes” or changes in a “system” that is keeping them down. It’s like there’s a constant ideological war between me (the one who believes we are fully capable) and others (the ones who believe we need help from white people).
According to the BBC, ONLY 8% of African Americans voted for Trump in 2016.
In today’s political climate , being conservative, let alone a black conservative, seems to be almost a taboo. Do you agree with that statement ? If yes , how has that manifested in your own social situations and personal life?
It isn’t taboo, really. There are a ton of black conservatives. It could be taboo if you’re a certain type of conservative. Like, you have the complete uncle toms that pretend racism doesn’t exist. Like Sheriff David Clarke. He is taboo as heck. I believe racism does exist. I believe racism is definitely an obstacle. The thing is, I don’t think racism should ever be a REASON for our failure to achieve something that we want to achieve. An obstacle is something you either find your way around, or completely push through. Sometimes it takes ingenuity. Sometimes it takes a bit of organizing. But an obstacle should never be a reason for failure. That’s the kind of conservative I am. I am a lot more pragmatic. I do agree with a lot of progressives on the problems we face. I tend to disagree with the ways in which they intend to remedy those problems. I don’t think progressives tend to think things through. They’re a lot more emotional than you actually need to be.
Did you vote for Trump? If yes, do you plan on voting for him again?
Nope, I didn’t even vote. I was in Lagos, Nigeria on business during the election. I would vote for Trump if Andrew Yang doesn’t win the democratic primary. I like Andrew Yang. He’s actually conservative, the political lines just shifted so much that he fits into the Democratic Party somehow. If this was the early 90’s, my man would have been running against Bush Sr in the Republican Primaries.
Trump and Conservatives have been labeled pretty poorly in the mainstream media (ie., racist, bigot, homophobic, sexist). Do you feel there has been a bias in the media or misrepresentation?
Of course there’s a bias but I also understand that the media is a reflection of the public. Neither Fox nor MSNBC nor CNN is interested in giving you objective news. If the news was objective, their ratings will plummet. They need to sell us drama. They’re literally competing against Reality TV, Maury, Jerry Springer, etc. It’s a business. The issue is, Americans aren’t interested in BBC style coverage. Controversy pays the bills. Trump is the best thing that could have ever happened to the media industry. I’m sure they’ve been beating all kinds of quarterly projections because of the amount of material he continually gives them. It’s all at the expense of the American people, though. People still think they’re getting objective news. In actuality, the news organizations play into biases to generate clicks and views in order to deliver whatever video advertisement they’re trying to deliver. It’s all about money.
Do you believe Trump is racist? If so, why? If not , how do you oppose that argument from liberals?
Maybe, maybe not. I don’t know for sure if he is racist, and frankly, I don’t even care if he is racist. Asking me if he is racist is like asking me if he is gay. I’m not sure about his sexual orientation, because I don’t know the man, but whether he is or not, is irrelevant. This is America. It’s a racist country. We literally had a racist president for 99% of the time this country existed. We can find racism in every single administration. Yet, during all these racist administrations, we can still find times when there were significant advancements for minorities in America. Which means, racist presidents would have to eventually be checked by the US Constitution. At the end of the day, JFK’s oval office recordings were released where he openly discussed his dislike of black people and his dislike of civil rights leaders but the man still sent the national guard down south to integrate schools. Because, what southerners were doing at the time was unconstitutional. No matter how JFK felt about black people, the man still had to do his job. That’s how I look at things. I don’t care how Trump feels about me. My question is, is he helping me? If not, is he throwing obstacles in my way? I think if we ask those questions, which are more important questions, then we might look at Trump in a different light. He’s definitely not the most likeable person. I just don’t see that he’s making life harder for me as a black entrepreneur.
What about being conservative do you align with most?
Personal Responsibility.
Why do you feel there is such a small percentage of the Black Community that identifies as Conservative ?
That’s false. A good percentage of African Americans are conservatives. They just don’t vote Republican. The elephant in the room is the race issue. The race issue is the only thing that keeps black people from voting for Republicans.
As a Black American male, do you feel the republican vote will be more beneficial to Black communities’ success in this country as opposed to a Democratic vote? Why?
I think Democrats need to be checked in Black communities at a local level. We’ve devastated our own communities by ensuring that only one party keeps winning. Nobody
listens to African Americans at a local level but it’s the local level politicians that affect African American communities the most. For example, Trump was talking trash about Baltimore. Primarily because he knows just how much money was sent there, without there being any progress. No president has the time to micromanage cities. What the hell are the local politicians actually doing with the money? A lot of these local democrats are black. Black people, that have been elected, has basically screwed other black people for a couple decades now, and we don’t say anything about it because it contradicts this narrative we’ve been running with for so long which is, Republicans are evil white men and Democrats are pro-minority.
There is a notion from some black conservatives, the Black community unnecessarily victimize themselves and the Democratic party takes advantage of that. Thoughts?
From the moment I was a kid in elementary school, I had teachers telling me that my people were slaves and that was supposed to, literally, be my foundation. We don’t unnecessarily victimize ourselves. We are taught victimhood. We are taught by people we trust. If I didn’t have Haitian history and I didn’t have the family I have, I’d probably be a lot like those who victimize themselves. I empathize with a lot of black Americans. It’s tough. Their only point of reference is someone who survived slavery. My point of reference is different. The Haitian revolution was fought by Africans that remembered the tribe they were in. We didn’t have generational slavery like they had in America. Haiti was founded by Africans that remembered home. So I do empathize because I know that not many black Americans have that. What they have is slavery. So, essentially, everything that is birthed out of that is birthed out of a state of victimhood because slaves were indeed victims.
What kind of policies or plan of action do you think would help the Black community (specifically in urban areas) change the narrative to be a more positive outcome?
Group economics. Literally having a racial bias on how we spend our own money.
What policies are most important when it comes to your vote?
Low Taxes and Tax Incentives for businesses.
Tell us your thoughts on these individual political topics that have had a lot of controversy.
Police Brutality/Black Lives Matter Movement:
I think police play a far larger role in our communities because we are incapable of adequately policing ourselves, as we should. I like the Black Panthers. I think we needed to continue something in that respect. What we have now are gangs. Therefore, we must depend on a police force to protect us, which is pretty stupid, since these are one of the same institutions that black people have complained about forever. We need black men to play a larger role in policing our own communities.
Free speech vs. Hate speech:
I think all speech should be free speech.
Immigration:
I look at immigration the same way I look at water. Water is good for you. We need water to survive. If you drink too much water for an extended period of time, the water can end up killing you. My family immigrated from Haiti. This was in the late 70’s, early 80’s. My family didn’t immigrate when kiosks are taking over jobs and self-driving trucks are about to hit the road and replace hordes of employees. My family didn’t immigrate when automotive factories are opening and most of the factory line are comprised of robots. My family didn’t immigrate when, even though the economy keeps growing, the average citizen keeps getting poorer. This is a very different environment that we live in. It’s ignorant to believe that because something was totally fine in the 1920’s that it will always be fine, forever. It’s an immature way of looking at the world. Yes, all these people immigrated to America in our history, but drones weren’t doing the heavy lifting at Amazon’s shipping centers when they came. It’s going to get bad in America and we aren’t even ready yet. It’s a bad time to immigrate here.
What do you think are the biggest flaws of both the Liberal and Conservative movements individually?
Liberals: They’re led by politicians
Conservatives: They’re led by politicians
Do you think Trump has created division or encouraged hate? Have you seen an increase of explicit hate towards disenfranchised people after the election of Trump?
No, Trump is a reflection of America itself. He’s the first honest depiction of an American I’ve ever seen. Trump was always in our lives. He was our boss. He was the cop that stopped you because you looked suspicious. He was the white woman that crossed the street when she saw you walking. He is the entrepreneur that opens a brunch spot in a bad neighborhood and sells $5 avocado toast sandwiches. Trump was always here. Trump was everywhere. For some reason, liberals don’t want to come to terms with what Americans are. Collectively, they’re Trump.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about being conservative?
That they can’t be as pretty as me. Go Follow the prettiest Republican on Facebook .
