Author: Raynard Jackson,

As the world commemorated the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I reflected upon the legacy of the iconic civil rights leader, I was reminded of two columns I wrote years ago in the form of poems. Yes, I do have a poetic side that most of the public has not seen unless they have read my book, “Writing Wrongs: My Political Journey in Black and Write.”

The first column was written in January of 2005 titled, “Letter to Dr. King.” Please remember the context in which this piece was written. George W. Bush had just won a second term as president; Barack Obama was just sworn in as the new senator from Illinois; Bill Cosby was being vilified for his now infamous “Pound Cake” speech before a NAACP awards program in Washington, D.C.; the speech was about Blacks being more responsible for what happens in their lives.

Even though Bush named Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice the first black Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, respectively in the history of the United States, liberal blacks still called Bush a racist; Former President George W. Bush also had a more diverse cabinet than former President Bill Clinton.

The second column was written six years later, in 2011, and titled, “The State of the Dream.” In this piece, I was very critical of how blacks awarded the contracts to design and construct King’s statue on The Mall in Washington, D.C., to a Chinese sculptor and not an American; this is why I will never visit it—ever. They even imported the granite from China, even though they could have gotten the same quality of materials in the United States.

One of the most prominent sculptors in the U.S. is Ed Dwight, Jr. who just happens to also be a former Air Force test pilot and the first black to be trained as an astronaut. Why was he not commissioned to do King’s sculpture?

With this as a backdrop, I think if King were living today, he would be totally embarrassed and ashamed of the black community; and he would be totally disappointed in the white community, as well.

When people called King the “n-word,” it was not a term of endearment; it was a term of death, as in, “Kill the n—ger!” I am quite sure that Jesse Jackson never walked up to King and said, “Yo, what’s up my n—ger!?”

Now, you have blacks all over television, movies, and public spaces using the word in mixed company. Then blacks have the nerve to want to get angry when a non-black does the same thing. N–ga, puh-leeeze!

No one should be using the word.

Period. The very use of this word is an affront to everything King represented.

Another thing that would embarrass Dr. King, would be the blatant mistreatment and degradation of black women. When did it become okay to call our women bitches and hoes?

Or what about the way some young people dress? Do you really think King would have approved of us walking around with our pants hanging down to our knees or our women showing all manner of body parts at work, church and on the street?

To my white folks: I think King would be disappointed that insidious social engineering through programs like welfare systematically have contributed to the destruction of the black family and the emasculation of the black male. Some of these perverted programs have also had a negative impact on the rest of America.

America, with all the strides that we have made, continues to hand the blacks the same check returned with the words “insufficient funds” stamped on its face ever time they try to cash it.

King didn’t want special treatment for blacks; he simply wanted equal treatment. He didn’t want blacks to become a protected class; he simply wanted America to enforce the Constitution.

We already had the right to vote; the right to live wherever we want; the right to eat at any restaurant; and the right to walk through the front door. The problem was that the Constitution wasn’t being enforced when it came to blacks.

God had already endowed us with these inalienable rights that were codified in the U.S. Constitution.

Yes, America has come a long way from where we used to be, but we still have a long way to go.

But, to my liberal friends who constantly posit, “When was America ever great?” I simply say that America was great when Lincoln freed the slaves; America was great when we passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964; America was great when we passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965; America was great when we passed the Fair Housing Act of 1968; America was great, when we elected the first black president in 2008.

So, as I reflect on King’s assassination and his legacy, I can hear him telling both blacks and whites: “Boy, go get me a switch, because you have brought shame on America.” After we start crying from his love taps from the switch, I can then see him grabbing us in his arms and lovingly saying, “Now, go do better.”

Raynard Jackson is founder and chairman of Black Americans for a Better Future (BAFBF), a federally registered 527 Super PAC established to get more Blacks involved in the Republican Party. BAFBF focuses on the black entrepreneur. For more information about BAFBF, visit www.bafbf.org

President Trump was voted into the White House in 2016 on the backs of the so-called, blue-collar workers, who live in the industrial Midwest of the country and a few southern battleground states. These folks reside in states like Wisconsin (Trump +.7), Michigan (Trump + .3), Ohio (Trump + 8.1), Florida (Trump + 1.2), and Pennsylvania (Trump + .7), etc.

Just like when discussing illegal immigration, most people think of people from Mexico; similarly, when you say blue-collar worker, most people think of white factory workers.

The Trump political operation and the Republican National Committee (RNC) are both making a flawed strategic calculation by not recognizing that blacks are also a part of this blue-collar pool of voters that are open to Trump’s plans and the Republican message of economic nationalism.

Just like with whites, blacks in the above states were devasted with the closing of the steel mills and the automation of the auto industry in the 80s and 90s. Many were high school graduates who didn’t go to college, but were good with their hands and were able to make a middle-class living the old fashioned American way—through hard work.

What Republicans fail to realize is that many Blacks are against amnesty for those in the country illegally and would also like to limit legal immigration.

The mainstream media-appointed, radical liberals of the civil “entitlement” industry have been bought and paid for by the Democratic unions. In my opinion, groups like the NAACP, the National Urban League, the Congressional Black Congress, etc., do not reflect the views of the black community— those groups merely reflect the views of their members.

When you look at the margin of victory by Trump in the five above states, you can plainly see that targeting black voters could increase his margin of victory.

If Trump were to give a series of speeches in front of black blue-collar workers in these five states, there is no doubt that they could insulate him from the typical liberal attack lines that he is a racist and only cares about his wealthy friends—as though there is something wrong with being wealthy.

I would go a step further. Can you imagine Trump giving a series of speeches with black blue-collar workers alongside black entrepreneurs?

Just picture a couple hundred blacks in a room; a black carpenter in overalls sitting next to the tie and jacket wearing CEO of a black IT firm; or a black electrician sitting next to the managing partner of a black CPA firm; or the black owner of a landscaping company sitting next to the owner of a black construction company.

Wow! What a visual.

What do all these blacks have in common? They all have been negatively impacted by illegal immigration and would be devastated by giving amnesty, i.e. citizenship, to those in the country illegally.

Can you imagine if President Trump were to ask someone like Harry Alford to organize such an event? Alford is the President and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce.

Alford’s Black Chamber of Commerce is by far, the most preeminent black chamber in the U.S. If you want to get the pulse of the black business community, one need only reach out to them. They have some of the most insightful data on the state of the black business community; they give the most insightful analysis on major policy issues and their impact on the black business community.

Here is a message to the Republican Party: Blacks are not opposed to the Trump administration’s agenda; simply put, no one is speaking to them in a language they understand and in a manner that is relevant to them.

Black blue-collar workers and black entrepreneurs both have been and are being devastated by workers who are in the country illegally. Why hire a blue-collar American worker at $25 per hour when you can hire an illegal worker for a lot less?

Entrepreneurs are being undercut on government contracts, because big companies are hiring engineers from India through the insidious H-1B program, while small business owners have to pay American engineers a lot more in order to compete.

Liberals have tried to equate Trump’s America First promise with America alone. America is the only country on earth that is putting others before its own national interest.

If this White House were to speak directly to black blue-collar workers and black entrepreneurs simultaneously, I can guarantee you that this effort would be quantifiable at the ballot box in this year’s congressional elections, as well as the presidential election in 2020.

Raynard Jackson is founder and chairman of Black Americans for a Better Future (BAFBF), a federally registered 527 Super PAC established to get more Blacks involved in the Republican Party. BAFBF focuses on the Black entrepreneur. For more information about BAFBF, visit www.bafbf.org. You can follow him on Twitter @Raynard1223.