A Sales Pitch

A sales pitch I've seen here and there declares one should consider the Republican Party because it has historically cared more about civil rights in comparison to the Democratic Party.

The pitch asserts that the Democratic Party instituted Jim Crow laws and has been against civil rights for much of the 20^th century, while the Republican Party abolished slavery, instituted Reconstruction, and challenged the Democratic Party with a pro-civil rights stance at every opportunity.

There is truth in these statements. Nevertheless, in its current form, the pitch doesn't get me interested.

One reason is that the assertions I've seen present no other pro-civil rights examples outside of the abolishment of slavery and the establishment of Reconstruction. The assertions also fail to demonstrate how the legacy these two 100+ year old examples are reflected in the civil rights advocacy of today's Republican Party.

The sales pitch tells instead of shows. And to get me interested, you need to show me.

Show me where the Republican Party demanded justice for the all-black towns that were burned to the ground by white settlers during the Western expansion;

Show me where the Republican Party fought against the whites only charters of new cities and new suburbs (for example, Levittown);

Show me where the Republican Party fought for new transportation routes (subways, buses, etc.) to extend to non-white neighborhoods;

Show me where the Republican Party fought against segregation in public schools, advocating on the behalf of the students in cases like Alvarez vs. the Lemon Grove School District…

Do not mis-take me – I'm not claiming there is no value in considering the Republican Party.

I'm saying that if civil rights advocacy is the foundation of the sales pitch,

is something I should be looking for in today's Republican Party,

Bring forth the receipts.