Michael Steele made history when he became the first African-American chair of the Republican National Convention in 2009. Steele served in that role until 2011 and he likely wasn鈥檛 expecting to make headlines while in attendance at this year鈥檚 Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington, D.C.
Then, this happened at the event鈥檚 annual Ronald Reagan dinner.
鈥淲e were somewhat lost as a group, we had just elected the first African-American president, and that was a big deal and that was a hill that we got over and it was something that we were all proud of and we weren鈥檛 sure what to do, and in a little bit of cynicism what did we do? This is a terrible thing. We elected Mike Steele to be the RNC chair because he鈥檚 a black guy, that was the wrong thing to do.鈥�
鈥擨an Walters, CPAC Communications Director
Steele鈥檚 response to the remarks have ranged from to agreeing that the Republican Party has a 鈥� .鈥�
A 2016 Pew Research survey reveals that only , even after the GOP鈥檚 efforts (including the selection of Steele as RNC head) to appeal to more black voters.
For conservatives of color, it鈥檚 a moment to address the challenge of contending with the GOP鈥檚 record on race and ask: Is the Republican Party truly a party for all?
GUESTS
Jill Upson, West Virginia State Delegate, the first black Republican woman elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in the state鈥檚 history;
Leah Wright Rigueur, Professor, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; author, 鈥淭he Loneliness of the Black Republican鈥� @LeahRigueur
Gianno Caldwell, Fox News political analyst, Republican strategist; Principal at Caldwell Strategic Consulting; @giannocaldwell
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