Black Conservatives:
Powell and Crouch

Black Conservatives Colin Powell and Stanley Crouch are viewed differently. In an article entitled Black Conservatives: What is their purpose? , Dr. Barbara Cannon, Dean Emeritus at Merritt College was asked, “What is a  Black Conservative?"  Dr. Cannon said there were two types. You have your traditional Black moral/ethical type of conservative "who did things by the book-- more than most Americans. Then you have your Black Conservative who complements things that favor whites, saying what they do is right, according to Dr. Cannon, they go by the White line of thinking. Both Colin Powell and Stanley Crouch represent these two types. Although both are in the Republican Party, the Black community views them in totally different ways: Colin Powell is accepted,  the Black community does not generally accept Stanley Crouch.

Colin Powell falls into the category of being a moral/ethical Black Conservative. He understands the history of African Americans in this country, and although Colin Powell steers away from poverty issues he on the Board of Trustees of Howard University, and he is also on the Board of Directors of the United Negro College Fund. Journalist Susan Robinson comments on Colin Powell: “He has consistently spoken out in favor of Affirmative Action polices, recognizing the barriers of segregation and racism that he and all African Americans have to over come. “  

According to an article found on Salon.com, "Blacks are the ultimate Democratic Party Loyalists." While it is true that the majority of Blacks are Democrats, that status is not because they get everything they need from the Democrats but because the Republicans don't offer anything they needed. Powell, a universally respected member of the Republican Party , wants to change how they were viewed by the Black community. He  considered running in the 1996 presidential election, but major conservative groups threatened to collaborate against his campaign if he sought the Republican nomination. Powell has criticized former presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr., for whom he worked, because they showed no sensitivity on racial matters in the' 80s.  

Stanley Crouch falls in the other category of being a Black Conservative who is positioned to go by the White line of thinking. After asked that famous Rodney King question, "Can't we all just get along?" Crouch answered, “By and large, most of us do get along; I don't mean there aren't problems. But Americans get so involved in problems that happened in the first part of our history that we ignore the great successes we've had.” 

Instead of mentioning the problems that exist he downplays them. Stanley Crouch, a man of African American origin, shows no sensitivity to racial issues, much like other Black Conservatives.  

Stanley Crouch is also a writer for the New York Daily News. In a published article he gives his opinion on the Abner Louima case, he states: I have had some encounters with some racist cops in my time, and I'm not convinced that the Louima case had any racial elements-at least not of the most obvious kind. Louima was never called a racist name. This is a strange way of looking at this situation, but it is the typical way he views the American world of Black/White politics.

We are not all politicians, but we do have morals, we can decipher right from wrong, good from bad. That is why we respect those who work hard to receive prestige and high ranking positions no matter in what field. Blacks support those who support the community and strive to break racial barriers.

As Black Conservatives, both Colin Powell and Stanley Crouch do their respective jobs. Powell, the ethical/moral Black Conservative, and Crouch, the Black Conservative positioned to go by the White line of thinking, are both Black conservatives, but both are viewed differently because they possess different views. The Black community forms a stronger bond with Colin Powell because his views are compatible with those of the Black community, while Stanley Crouch’s views are more compatible to White Conservative views.