An ironic tragedy of Barack Obama's presidency is how the economic prospects of black Americans are worse today than when he entered office; the black unemployment rate currently sits at 9.5%, double the national average and worse than the 5% rate prior to the 2008 financial crisis. Under President Obama, black Americans have yet to recover wealth lost during the recession. Furthermore, recent fatal police encounters between black teens in Ferguson, Baltimore, Chicago, and Cleveland have prompted blacks to reconsider their generation-long allegiance to the Democratic Party. For too long Democrats have taken the black vote for granted but have done very little to reverse black America's economic decline or to rehabilitate America's broken criminal justice system, an issue that disproportionately affects the black community. This confluence of events provides Republicans the opportunity to reengage with black voters. Specifically, Republicans can leverage their positions on school choice, criminal justice reform and occupational licensing to make the case to black voters that the GOP can most effectively serve the economic and social interests of the black community.
Condoleezza Rice surmised the crisis in our public education when she observed at the 2012 Republican National Convention, "When I can look at your zip code and can tell whether you are going to get a good education - can I really say that it doesn't matter where you came from - it matters where you are going. The crisis in K-12 education is a grave threat to who we are." Arguably, lack of education is the single most significant obstacle to economic success for blacks. At 68%, blacks have the lowest high school graduation rates of all ethnic groups. Black students on average also score disproportionately lower on the SAT compared to their counterparts from other demographic groups. The public school system has utterly failed black students. Republicans can seize these failures to mobilize black voters to support school choice. School choice will allow impoverished black parents to forego failing public schools within their arbitrarily designated school districts to send their children to better performing public schools. Such a policy will ensure that black students are receiving the education they need to succeed in life rather than entrap them in a failing system.
On criminal justice reform the Republicans have the opportunity to fundamentally transform the lives of black Americans who have been disenfranchised by the country's broken sentencing code. A coalition of conservatives and libertarians have already led significant reforms on "ban the box" and reforming mandatory minimums.
Criminal justice reform advocates have advocated for laws that "ban the box," in reference to the box on the employment applications that inquire about an applicant's criminal history. Nationally, 33% of black men have a felony on their record. Many employers hesitate to hire ex-offenders so those with a criminal record face significant barriers to securing gainful employment. Private employers such as Koch Industries, Walmart, and Target have already banned the box on employment applications and 13 states already have laws that do the same. In November 2015, President Obama mandated that federal agencies do the same. Removing this barrier to employment will allow ex-offenders the opportunity to find meaningful employment and ultimately rise up the economic ladder rather than be burdened by crimes for which they have already served their time.
On reforming mandatory minimums, the Sentencing and Corrections Reform Act currently working its way through the Senate has the potential to fundamentally transform sentencing laws across the country; however, its success is reliant upon Republican senators putting their support behind the bill. Two primary objectives of the bill would repeal mandatory minimums for nonviolent first time offenders and allow judges to set sentences below mandatory minimums. Such reforms would transition first-time offenders away from incarceration, consequently, allowing them to rehabilitate their lives.
If Republicans are truly the party of Christian values and economic opportunity, then criminal justice reform needs to be a critical plank in the Party's platform. Many young black men become trapped in the prison system at an early age and increasingly difficult to escape without these reforms. The status quo of the criminal justice system creates a perpetuating cycle of incarcerating young men then releasing them to society without the proper skills to survive in the civil society ultimately leading them to return to a life of crime. Reforms on mandatory minimums and ban-the-box will provide millions of black Americans with hope to restore their lives. Furthermore, diverting young black men away from prisons has the potential to keep black fathers in the lives of their children and end the devastating cycle of broken families that are the root cause of many social ills in the black community.
Another issue where Republicans can connect with black voters is on occupational licensing. Occupational licensing laws effectively bar new competitors from entering an industry lest they pay hundreds of dollars in licensing fees and schooling. These laws disproportionately hurt impoverished Americans who cannot afford the time and money to acquire the license to work. Iowa, for example, requires a state license to practice hair braiding. Hair braiding is immensely popular among black women; many of them learn the techniques in informal settings at home then leverage their skills into paid work. In Iowa, however, the license to braid hair is 181 days of schooling, $141 in fees, and an exam. Working while unlicensed can result in up to $10,000 in fines and one year in jail.
These onerous regulations extend to many other low-skilled industries such as cosmetology, coaches, fishermen, yoga instructors, among others that all collude to price low socioeconomic blacks out of the marketplace, thus, further limiting blacks' economic opportunity. Republicans' advocacy for free markets and limited government provides a natural platform to rail against protectionist licensing laws while simultaneously speaking to an issue that addresses the livelihood of black Americans. Eliminating these artificial barriers to employment will empower black entrepreneurs to enter the free market and provide disadvantage blacks with economic opportunity previously unattainable.
All of these failures for the black community ultimately point to systemic government failures. The black experience in America is stricken with the government's failure and inability to redress social and economic issues that disproportionately affect blacks. It is a vicious cycle in which government-run public schools force impoverished blacks to suffer in failing inner city schools, in turn causing unemployable young blacks to turn to a life of crime and violence that ultimately lands them in prison where they are saddled with a criminal record for the rest of their lives that prevent them from finding meaningful long term employment. Furthermore, in the industries where they might have an opportunity to start a business with their already limited resources, the government imposes draconian labor restrictions to protect industry cartels. These are all issues caused by the government that can only be solved by giving black Americans more choice and freedom away from overbearing government confines. This is the message that Republicans need to take to mobilize black voters and show that the principles of free markets and limited government works for all Americans.
Brian Hawkins is the policy coordinator at the American Legislative Exchange Council. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army where he served tours of duty to South Korea and Afghanistan. Brian graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a bachelor's degree in political science. The views expressed are his own.