Al Reynolds, Tea Party Candidate, Says Black Men Prefer Selling Drugs to Education

Illinois State Senate candidate Al Reynolds (pictured) is in hot water, after making some comments about black men that even his fellow Republicans have found to be quite offensive. When asked about black men going to college, Reynolds had this to say:

"I've been in the city and the dichotomy of the women and the men in the minorities, there is a difference in the fact that most minority women, either the single parent or coming from a poor neighborhood, are motivated more so than the minority men. And it's a pretty good reason. Most of the women who are single parents have to find work to support their family. The minority men find it more lucrative to be able to do drugs or other avenues rather than do education. It's easier."

"We need to provide ways that are more incentive, other than just sports avenues, for the men for the minorities to want to go to college and get an education and better themselves before the women have to support them all."

Clearly, Reynolds is off base with his remarks. By generalizing the majority of African-American men as shiftless, lazy social deviants, he is reflecting a degree of ignorance that even sets a new low for the Tea Party.

I, myself, have commented on the state of black men in America and how we need to set new collective objectives for ourselves, but such comments must be tempered with the acknowledgment that the majority of African-American men are normal people who make normal life decisions. Yes, Mr. Reynolds, we are human beings just like you.

What I can say is that it appears that Reynolds needs to stop learning about black men by watching television and actually spend more time in our communities. His remarks are a reflection of what many of us see on TV screens, in movie theaters and on hip-hop music videos. This hardly connects to what black men are all about, and his comment has no place in modern politics.

What's also interesting is that Al Reynolds' remarks reflect the sentiments of many of his fellow Republicans, who chalk up the mass incarceration of black men to mean that we are more likely to commit crimes.

They overlook disproportionate access to financial resources (to pay attorneys), racial profiling and bias in the judicial system as more significant causes of black mass incarceration.

In fact, you could say that mass incarceration of the African-American male has become a modern day holocaust, destroying families and ruining the lives of millions of children. The seminal engine for this disturbing chain of events is rooted in the psyches of Americans who think like Al Reynolds. Honestly, can you imagine a man like Reynolds serving on a jury with a black defendant?

The recent NAACP report on the Tea Party and its racist members across the country, seems to be validated each time a Tea Partier opens his or her mouth. Since they make no bones about how they feel about blacks and our community, it is imperative that we make no bones on how we feel about them and their biased viewpoints come election day next month.

America is the land of free speech (most of the time), and we must respect the rights of Tea Party members to say what they want. But in an equally loud voice, we should all take a stand to speak up against those who feel comfortable making disparaging remarks about African Americans. One way we can make our voice heard is by showing up at the voting booth. If you feel passionate enough to vote, then I encourage you to do so. If there is another way you 'd like to make your statement, then do that as well. Either way, life is too short to be silent.

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Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.