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Louisiana State Senator Elbert Gullory recently explained why he changed from Democrat to Republican:

The left is only concerned with one thing: Control, and they disguise control as charity. Programs such as welfare, these programs aren't designed to lift black Americans out of poverty. They were always intended as a mechanism for politicians to control the black community. The idea that blacks, or anyone for that matter, need the government to get ahead in life is despicable. And even more important, this idea is a failure. Our communities are just as poor as they have always been. Our schools continue to fail children, our prisons are filled with young black men, who should be at home, being fathers. Our self-initiative and our self-reliance have been sacrificed in exchange for allegiance to our overseers.  Who control us by making us dependent on them.

But cynicism doesn't enter in: Democrats truly believe that they alone care about blacks. They don't admit that the destruction they have wreaked on the black community is the inevitable result of their faulty policies. They believe their own propaganda that Republicans are haters.

Yes, it is self-serving. The importance of racial politics for Democrat victory cannot be overstated. They know how to keep blacks in group-think lockstep, manipulated by pain and fear of racist Republicans. The human capacity for self-serving hypocrisy is unlimited.

The sense of moral superiority that Democrats assign themselves is just as crucial in keeping well-meaning white liberal voters in line. As long as Republicans are tarred as bigots, such Democrats can't imagine switching parties, and can't see what Republicans have to offer the country.

Out of this tragedy is emerging a solution: a coalition of black and white conservatives.

There is an exciting new energy as black leaders and thinkers are rebelling against the Democratic Party. Almost a million blacks voted for Romney in 2012, an act of substantial courage and independence, which results in pariah status among their friends and neighbors. The new world of the internet is allowing black conservatives to be heard. Google black Tea Party leaders, black conservative bloggers, black conservatives, black Republicans and you will be happy to see how many outstanding people are working for change. Some are household names, beloved and respected among conservatives, such as Rep. Allen West, Herman Cain, Justice Clarence Thomas, Professor Thomas Sowell, Dr. Ben Carson. Many others are making an impact -- Senator Tim Scott, Mia Love, Deneen Borelli, Deroy Murdock, Walter Williams, Lloyd Marcus, and the list goes on. This is good news indeed.

Derrick Wilburn, black Tea Party activist and organizer of American Conservatives of Color has this to say:

The principles of conservatism - personal empowerment, less government intrusion into private lives, a strong national defense, greater individual freedom & liberty, fiscal responsibility from our elected officials - make sense and work for all people, regardless of race or ethnicity.

The chasm between black (and brown) and conservative America is unhealthy for both sides, and at B&C.com we are dedicated to helping bridge that gap. Our deepest desire is to aid in bringing both sides to a place of mutual understanding and respect.

Black America, we have got to change the way we operate. Automatically running to one political party and voting for its candidates and policies without so much as considering another is fundamentally flawed. Conservative America, we have got to change the way we operate. Where is the outreach, where and what is the message to ethnic minorities? Not making an effort to reach divergent groups is fundamentally flawed. Fixing this divide will be neither fast nor easy, but we've got to start someplace, sometime. Why not here, why not now?

Conservatives need to expose race baiting, but we must not stop there. Each ugly incident is an opportunity to show how our side has more to offer blacks. Don't just point to the horrific murder statistics in Chicago, talk about real solutions enacted by Republican mayors, and that black families don't have to settle for this awful Democrat Nanny state of affairs.

A million blacks have already left the Democrats' plantation. If we want that number to grow, we have to show up and ask for their vote. We can agree, conservative black and white, uniting around our devotion to American principles of small government and individual freedom, the only routes to a better life for everyone.

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