Conservative Republicans routinely make a number of contentious remarks and take stances on policy, many of which have had an impact on or were targeted at the African American community. A number of statements made by conservative pundits and “talking heads” have been deemed false, misleading, or dishonest. Let’s take a look at a few of these claims and assess their effect on Black Americans.

Success in the Economy and the Creation of New Jobs

**Claim**

One of the main points Conservatives like to tout is that African Americans had never seen such extraordinary economic achievement under the previous administration. African Americans, they say time and time again, had the best job growth and lowest unemployment rates during his presidency.

**Truth**

It’s true that African Americans saw a decline in their unemployment rate, but it’s unfair to give all the credit for this decline to conservative policy alone. Throughout Obama’s last years in office, the unemployment rate for Black Americans fell consistently. They also frequently fail to take into account larger economic patterns or the substantial impact of previous initiatives when making these statements. Representing broader economic trends rather than the effect of any one administration’s initiatives, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the African American unemployment rate hit historic lows during the Obama and subsequent administrations.

Criminal justice reform and its effects

**Claim**

As a major victory for African Americans, Conservatives hail the 2018 criminal justice reform measure known as the First Step Act. They assert that the act marked a significant advancement in resolving the structural inequities that African Americans endure.

**Truth**

In terms of criminal justice reform, the First Step Act did advance certain goals, such as enhancing rehabilitation programs and decreasing mandatory minimum sentences for specific non-violent crimes. Nevertheless, it is oversimplified for pundits to present the Act as a groundbreaking solution to entrenched racism and mass incarceration. Racial profiling, police brutality, and the wider effects of the war on drugs were among the fundamental problems in the criminal justice system that the changes failed to resolve. Despite the Act’s merits, some contend that it failed to adequately address the underlying structural problems that disproportionately impact Black Americans.

African American Cities: A Characterization

**Claim**

Conservatives often paint places with large African American populations as being plagued by deterioration and crime. This included Baltimore and Chicago. They say these places are living proof of Democratic leadership gone wrong, and they require immediate attention to improve people’s living conditions.

**Truth**

Conservative policymakers frequently leave out crucial background information and ignore the intricacies of city problems in their portrayals of these communities. Although certain communities may experience difficulties with crime and economic inequality, their presentation was often simplistic and failed to address the underlying causes of these issues, which include historical neglect, segregation, and economic disparities. Furthermore, they fail to take into account the initiatives taken by community members and local leaders to resolve these matters. Progressive detractors say he failed to add anything useful to conversations regarding urban development and that conservative remarks frequently verge on being racially offensive.

Dealing with the COVID-19 Pandemic

**Claim**

Conservative lawmakers lied about the efficacy of the government’s reaction to the COVID-19 outbreak and played down the virus’s severity. According to them, the pandemic is now under control, and things will get better shortly.

**Truth**

Compared to other racial groups, African American communities were hit harder by the epidemic, experiencing greater rates of infection and mortality. Concern and uncertainty over public health recommendations were exacerbated by the Conservatives’ handling of the epidemic, which included their repeated attempts to minimize the severity of the disease and their advocacy of treatments that lacked sufficient scientific evidence. African American communities were already at a disadvantage because of health inequalities before the federal government’s lack of a coordinated response and contradictory messages made matters worse.

Racist Violence and the Charlottesville Incident

**Claim**

Following the 2017 deadly riots in Charlottesville, Virginia, It was notably stated that there were “very fine people on both sides,” including both the white supremacist organizations and the counter-protesters. It was implied that the parties involved were equally responsible for the bloodshed.

**Truth**

The fact is that many felt Conservatives did not go far enough in their speech to denounce white nationalists and their racist ideology. African American communities and other oppressed groups felt that the statement that was made was an effort to minimize the gravity of the hate-driven killings. For many African Americans, the silence on the side of conservatives on the issue of white nationalism sent a message that they are unconcerned about the heightened racial tensions caused by the incident.

Health care and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

**Claim**

Conservatives championed a better healthcare system and promised to eliminate the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which they regularly criticized and repeatedly attempted to undermine nationally and in many conservative state governments. All Americans, especially African Americans, will have greater coverage and cheaper expenses under their planned healthcare system, they said.

**Truth**

Many African Americans were able to gain access to healthcare under the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, which is commonly known as Obamacare. Conservative efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and install a new system, which they NEVER fleshed out, would have hurt Black Americans, who already confront substantial inequalities in health access and outcomes. Their opponents also contend that they have made matters even worse by trying to undermine the ACA, which would have increased healthcare prices and cut coverage.

School Choice and Education Policy

**Claim**

Conservative lawmakers push for charter schools and school choice, saying that these will help Black American students succeed academically by giving them more options and encouraging healthy competition.

**Truth**

The data on the efficacy of school choice and charter schools is varied, despite their purported purpose of providing alternatives to regular public schools. Public schools, which educate a disproportionate number of pupils from low-income and minority backgrounds, may lose some of their funding if school choice is encouraged, according to critics. In addition, when we just talk about charter schools, we fail to address the larger systemic issues that contribute to educational inequality, like financing gaps and institutional racism.

Economic Policies and Wealth Inequality

**Claim** Conservative economists, policymakers, and pundits often assert that the reduction of taxes and the loosening of regulations will lead to increased economic activity and the creation of new jobs for all Americans, particularly African Americans.

**Truth**

Critics of the 2017 tax cuts and other economic measures say that they favored the wealthy and corporations at the expense of middle-class and working-class Americans. Unemployment rates were one economic indicator that improved, but not all African American neighborhoods reaped the advantages of these initiatives. Proponents and detractors of the initiatives contend that they failed to do enough to alleviate the structural inequalities that keep Black Americans from achieving economic parity.

How Executive Orders and Policy Changes Have Impacted

**Claim**

Conservatives frequently cite executive actions and policy shifts as achievements that would benefit African Americans, according to the claim. Efforts to alter the criminal justice system and bolster financing for HBCUs were two of his highlighted initiatives.

**Truth**

These policies did have some good effects, such as extra money for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), but their overall impact was more nuanced. For instance, although significant, the conservative strategy for criminal justice reform was narrow in focus and failed to resolve all the structural problems that Black Americans face. Some policy shifts and executive actions were also said to have had mixed or limited effects on the community’s real well-being.

As we approach Election Day 2024, it is increasingly important for our community to pay attention and listen carefully to what the politicians are saying about our issues, interests and concerns, then compare them to the realities on the ground. Many conservative remarks and assertions about the African American community are simplistic, inaccurate, or misleading. Claims regarding healthcare, criminal justice reform, economic progress, and other sectors frequently ignored the bigger picture or the intricacies of systemic problems. They often fail to take into account important details or the larger effect on African American communities. If we want to have meaningful conversations about leadership and policy and assess how they actually affect African Americans, we must understand these false claims and what they mean.