Republicans Must Not Forget Kemp’s Minority Outreach

As an undergrad and a graduate student, I had the privilege of studying at Occidental College--a school attended by President Barack Obama and the late congressman Jack Kemp. Obama may be a Democrat and Kemp a Republican, but their education at the Los Angeles liberal arts college no doubt left an indelible mark on their political philosophies.

Kemp, who died of cancer May 2 at age 73, distinguished himself by reaching out to people of color before and after his involvement in the GOP. As a professional football player in 1965, Kemp helped move the AFL all-star game out of New Orleans when black players encountered discrimination there, the New York Times reported. After he was appointed Housing and Urban Development secretary in 1989, Kemp met with black leaders and initiated the Affordable Housing Act. He continued his minority outreach as a 1996 vice-presidential candidate, helping the Republican Party increase the number of black votes it received in the election by two percent.

The Republican Party of today would be wise to remember Kemp by following his lead. In the 2008 presidential election, it lost 96% of the black vote and 67% of the Hispanic vote, the Washington Post reported. Moreover, at last year's Republican National Convention, just 36 of the estimated 2,000 delegates present were African American. The GOP is mistaken if it believes it can be a serious contender in future elections while alienating ethnic minorities.

Of course, the party has superstars such as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and National Chairman Michael Steele. But the rise of two politicians of color in the party isn't enough to win the minority vote. Republicans must not only visit neighborhoods, churches and schools filled with people of color, they must also advocate on behalf of minority communities.

"The GOP must emphasize by reaching out in a dramatic new way to people of color that it's truly a party of Lincoln--with inclusion, not exclusion, as its predicate," Kemp told Occidental Magazine after Barack Obama defeated John McCain in the 2008 presidential election.

Should the party choose to uphold Kemp's legacy, it will make a concerted effort to adopt his philosophies on race and, by default, those of Abraham Lincoln, a personal hero of Obama, too. As an alumna of Occidental College, I'd like to think that studying at the liberal arts institution influenced Kemp's concern for people of color. There, I received an education with a multicultural agenda which helped me to deconstruct matters of race, class and gender. I'm proud to have attended the college that helped shape the developing minds of two of America's most memorable politicians.