The disbelief–the horror–that so many African-Americans felt as the votes were counted on Election Night was unmistakable.  Here was Donald Trump, a man that had such a checkered past when it came to minorities overall, was about to be president-elect of the United States of America.

What does this mean?  For some African-Americans, it is a reflection of the racism that has always been a part of America, regardless of the fact that this nation elected its first African-American as President just eight years ago.  For some others, it is a lost opportunity, as propelling such an insensitive leader to this position sets the Republican Party back many years–maybe a generation–in its “mission” to increase diversity within the party.  Still, a few believe that Trump will be good for African-Americans.

Who’s right?

In an article I wrote in the Washington Post last week, I expressed my concerns with the direction the GOP clearly is going.  The election of Donald Trump by his supporters revealed that the true principles of minority outreach are still not engrained in the DNA of the party.  Outreach is more than just calling out Democrats when they take their disproportionate African-American support for granted.  Outreach is more than a compulsory memo when MLK Day arrives.  Why is this?  The GOP has not done its job–changing the heart of both its leaders and its rank and file.  The wink-wink nod-nod dog whistles to make it clear it’s OK to feel certain ways about people came to a head with Donald Trump, a man with a history of unfair treatment of African Americans for years.

Now what do we do?

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