Reconstruction was over. Our bodies were free from white control, our minds were free from white limitations, and our labor was free from white exploitation – well, mostly.
But there was something more important our hearts wouldn’t let rest.
We needed the political power to keep ourselves free and to protect future generations. Since Lincoln was a Republican, and he signed the Emancipation Proclamation, many of us joined the Republican party. We put all our voting power behind them.
Then something awful – but not surprising – happened.
White Republicans fought against including us, calling themselves “Lily White”. Anytime we tried to make ourselves heard, they blocked us. Some of them even tried to kill us!
And they started enforcing Jim Crow laws. We knew we had to outsmart them – and that’s when Black Excellence kicked in.
We formed the “Black and Tan” faction of the Republican party in the 1870s. We got organized, got a few laws put into place, and made progress – but the Lily Whites took over the Republican party.
So we left in droves for the Democrats. However, one thing was clear.
The Lily Whites grew because they saw the extent of our combined political power. We are the best people to determine our political interests – and we must never allow politicians of ANY PARTY to take our support for granted.