It’s no secret that Republicans have encountered difficulties reaching minority communities throughout the country. The overwhelming majority of minorities are registered Democrats.
However, Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign showed a slight shift in support. For the first time in recent memory, a Republican president was putting significant effort into attracting black and brown voters. Kimberly Klacik, a former Republican congressional candidate in Maryland’s 7th Congressional District and Trump supporter, has continued this trend by forming Red Renaissance. This organization helps Republican candidates run for office and focuses on community engagement and outreach. Last weekend, Red Renaissance held an “oil and brake repair workshop” in Baltimore to teach teenagers these skills.
King Randall is the founder of The X for Boys, an organization dedicated to “making men great again.” Randall, an Atlanta native, focuses on community engagement to help teenage males empower themselves for success as they transition into adulthood. King accomplishes this in various ways, from serving breakfast to his local community, book clubs, workshops that focus on home improvement, reading literacy, and automotive repair. Klacik invited King to teach Baltimore teenagers how to change oil and brakes on Sept. 25 at a free clinic at Simmons Baptist Church in Baltimore. It is part of community outreach that King decided to do at an early age.
“Growing up in the city of Albany, Georgia, where crime and poverty plague the community, I decided in 2019 at the age of 19 to begin The X for Boys program. We teach boys, aged 11-17, a variety of different skilled trades, such as automotive repair, home improvement, welding, firearms training, etc.,” Randall told me. “These skills are valuable because they expose the boys to different career fields, seeing that the public school system has taken many of these things away. They feel like they aren’t able to do anything if they can’t play sports or rap. I aim to be the POSSIBLE that they are able to see with their own eyes. Once they see that they aren’t worthless, the sky is the limit.”
Randall highlights the significant point of how education has changed. At a time when technological advances should have education systems flourishing with limitless possibilities, their failures often leave many groups without the necessary skills to survive in society. Randall was fortunate enough to come from a strong family that taught these skills and taught self-reliance and empowerment.
“My former stepfather taught me everything I know how to do with my hands,” Randall said. “Growing up, we built everything in the backyard. We did all of our home improvement. We grew our own food, etc. I didn’t understand how valuable those things were at the time until I became an adult.”
Randall’s self-reliance and skills are principles that seem to be missing in many of today’s youth who are more likely to be taught to turn to the government as the ultimate problem solver. Empowerment and individual responsibility have been replaced with perpetual victimization and reliance on big government.
For Republicans to make headway in black communities, they must flip the script on these narratives. That is the way to change the culture: show people how to improve their lives instead of making mere political statements.
But the first thing Republicans must do, which they haven’t done, is show up in these communities. Showing up is what King Randall and Kimberly Klacik have been doing.
“We all know the majority of black neighborhoods are controlled by Democrats,” Randall said. “You will rarely see a successful Republican Party present. The problem lies when there is no competing political machine in these areas. As such, Democrats are free to do as they please when it comes to policies.”
“Let’s say a young man wants to start an automotive business. Democratic policies place numerous regulations in his way that will often dissuade that young man from becoming an entrepreneur. But if there was a Republican machine to combat this, regulations would be removed,” said Randall. “And that is why it’s important for small-government candidates to run in communities like Baltimore or Albany, Georgia. Showing up to support or sponsor workshops, which is what Kim did here, is good.”
From raising funds to buying uniforms for students in the Baltimore School District to free clinics such as King Randall’s, Klacik has done yeoman’s work in aligning Republican values with community engagement. Unlike many Republicans before her, she realizes that a presence in black communities is the first step in helping to spread conservative, Republican ideas there. She also understands how our country has shifted away from the principles and ethos that made us great. She calls for a return to those ways. Basic automotive repair skills are one such way.
“It was great to see men supporting men and bonding over sharing skills along with a trade that can be turned into a tool used for a lifetime,” she said. “I wish basic trades were taught in public schools. It’s time to get back to basics. The basics worked. Why reinvent the wheel when we can just put air in it?”
Randall would like to see a consistent presence in these communities to fight the Democratic machines that have hampered black communities while for so long depending on their votes. He views the workshops he hosts as a starting point, but there must be more to follow.
“What happens when the workshop ends? Simple: The communities still must deal with a progressive machine that will oppress them economically,” Randall said. “That is what needs to change. At this point, black Americans have been abused by the Democrat system for so long. They need more than just a Republican workshop here and there. They need tangibles, which conservative politics can deliver. They need the right to flex dual domination, which will ensure they exercise political might, no matter who’s in office.”
“We organized this event because, like many West Baltimoreans, we knew that jobs and skills are what is most needed by our youth,” said Markus Trent, manager and field director of Red Renaissance. “So, we did away with empty political rhetoric and went straight in on promoting automotive trade skills, which provides invaluable knowledge and can help folks in our community make an honest dollar.”
Randall’s workshop hearkens back to the messages of icons such as Booker T. Washington that centered on building community through economic strength and individual pride, focusing on self-help rather than asking for help.
Klacik’s Red Renaissance is developing a model that Republicans should take note of. By showing up in marginalized communities, Red Renaissance provides hope to communities that no longer had any because of the damage that Democratic policies have caused. By promoting self-reliance, individuality, and empowerment over dependence on government, Republicans can start to take back the culture.
