Part Three: All God's Republicans Got Wings!

[Chapters from my book, Black Eyes Shut - White Lips Sealed, by Jean Howard-Hill]

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

ALL OF GOD’S REPUBLICANS GOT ROBES AND WINGS!

“Be careful my child and always remember that not everything
that says ‘baa, baa’ is a sheep!” Golden Nuggets of Wisdom to My Daughter LaShunda__jhh

In 1977, one day while sitting at my desk, in my office at the Southeast Tennessee Legal Services, God spoke the name, “John Wright”.

I had no idea who this man was, or why God spoke so clearly his name. Within an hour’s time, He spoke the name again. This time, I asked God why. His response was that his desire was to send him a word of comfort and encouragement regarding some personal family issues he was facing.

I got up and asked one of the secretaries if they had any idea who John Wright was. My initial thought was that he was a client. We looked to see if there was a client by that name, and found none in our files. I went back into my office and sat down. God continued to deal with me about this John Wright. Finally someone came into my office. I don’t even remember who it was. But they told me that there was a John Wright who was president of American National Bank. I prayerfully pondered the name that had been given to me, and asked God if this was the right John Wright.

God’s answer was, “Yes”.

Without hesitation or thought I looked up the bank’s telephone number, and was speaking to his secretary.

“Hello, my name is Jean Howard, and God gave me Mr. Wright’s name to give him a message.”

As I heard those words coming out of my mouth, I thought, “Oh no! She will think I am crazy. I will never get to him now!”

Just as I was thinking that perhaps I should have used a different introduction, his secretary put me on hold, and came back to tell me that Mr. Wright was leaving for a trip, but would speak to me. I nearly fell out of my chair. God had only spoken his name, and I wasn’t sure now what I was to say to him! But immediately God poured out of me the most tender and loving words of encouragement, which prophetically told Mr. Wright the personal problems that had been troubling him. He did not seem amazed or alarmed. He very humbly received what God had to say, and gave me confirmations that the words that had been spoken were indeed from God, because they revealed things I could not have known. He was the very first Republican I knew. But from that point on, he became someone who was in my corner.
When I created and implemented the Democracy in Action program, which was a city and county wide Civics program within the public schools, designed to give elementary, junior, and senior high students an opportunity to be involved in government from a mock and real life prospective, he was the one who sent out letters to some of the very wealthy and influential people in Chattanooga, encouraging them to support me in this effort. All of these individuals became mentors and people I came to respect and admire. With the exception, I think of Ruth Holmberg, the publisher of the Chattanooga Times, all of them were Republicans, and gave me my first experience with those who wore the GOP label. I saw in these men a common thread of integrity, honesty and kindness. Among the list of eight, I got to know Carey Hanlin of Providence Insurance Company, and O.D. McKee of McKee’s Bakery on a more personal level.

Years after Mr. Hanlin left Providence, because of a car accident, I called to check on him and to see how he was faring. I was surprised to see he still remembered me. He was someone of whom I had a great deal of respect.

O.D. McKee, I knew through personal introduction from Mr. Wright and also because I had worked for Little Debbie’s before I went to law school. I worked legal services during the day, and there at night to get the funds I needed for school. I first began on the oatmeal cookie line, but because it was so hard staying awake, and I found myself sometimes on the conveyor belt, with the cakes on my way into the wrapper room, I asked to be moved to maintenance. The sight of me each night, around 10:00 p.m. when I came in, going to get my bucket, hand mop, and scrapper, was hilarious to my two girl friends Thelma and Willena Ringer. My brother-in-law, Harold Tisdale was in charge of one of the plants, so they had used him as a reference, and had gotten the better jobs in the wrapper room. It didn’t matter to me. I enjoyed my job as a janitor. It gave me the flexibility of being to myself and the time to think and pray during the night watches.

My job was to clean the chocolate machines. This meant at the end of my night shift, at 6:30 in the morning, when I got off, I went home smelling like a Hershey’s candy bar. Marty Levitt, one of the legal aid attorneys whose office was next to me, even after I had showered before going to work at legal services, would always sniff me, and joke about me being a Little Debbie’s snack cake. I didn’t mind that either, because it was an honor to work for a company that took the making and handling of its products, just as serious as it did its employee relationships.

At McKee’s, you handled the product with respect, and if you were doing anything within the plant that compromised the quality of the product, you didn’t ask questions, because you knew you were fired. The rewards for working under such high production standards were in the pay you received, (especially the yearly bonuses awarded to employees when the company did well), and the way in which you were treated. You could see the same standards in which the founder of the company, O.D. McKee lived by and governed his personal affairs, exemplified in the work standards and employment relations within the company. Experiencing this, and seeing how John Wright, and the other Republican gentlemen conducted their affairs, caused me to believe that all Republicans had robes and wings! It also made me want to be a Republican.

When I decided to join the Republican Party, I went back to my friend John Wright. He introduced me to Scottie Probasco, who also was a Republican and a fine gentleman, who served as chairman of the board of the bank. They were delighted that I had decided to join the GOP. They were ever more delighted to hear that I planned to run for State Representative all in the same move. Mr. Probasco made the connections, and a meeting was arranged in his office for me to speak with the powers that be of the Republican Party on a local, and state level. Everyone seemed so excited at both of my decisions, and opened their arms to receive me. O. D. McKee also lent his support even though he did not live within my district.
My announcement dinner drew a distinguished crowd of both blacks and whites. Among those were O.D. McKee. He made sure he was there, so that I would know I had his support, although he did not reside within my district. I was the first African-American candidate to run as a Republican in Hamilton County. That alone brought excitement as well as curiosity.

The Hamilton County Republican Women’s Club was among my strongest supporters. They worked so hard to give me the support I needed. They had a big yard sale, and donated many of the items that were to be sold. They raised money, and presented me with a check. One of the club members, Ro Card had a lavish reception for me. She went to great expense to have napkins printed with my name on them, to give me a royal welcoming as a candidate and club member. Joan Lockaby Youngblood, Gladys Wood, Lil Coker, and Betty Gass Young worked hard for me, just as many other women in the club. The wife of then Governor Lamar Alexander, Honey Alexander came down to speak at a Lady’s Luncheon that was given for me. The Governor also made several appearances to support me. Former Tennessee Supreme Court Judge George Brown came down as well, and even former Texas Governor John Connally lent his personal backing to me, as well as to other GOP candidates by making an appearance. President Ronald Reagan sent a personal letter of support, and welcomed me into the Republican Party. Everyone was more than supportive. Although I did not win the race, it was a campaign filled with strong Republican support. All of this again led me to believe that all Republicans had robes and wings! It was not until later that I realized that among those with the robes and wings, were also those with hoods and horns.

I came into the Republican Party with the notion that all God’s Republican children had robes and wings. I believed it was a political party that was more aligned with my deeply rooted spiritual convictions. I believed in God as supreme and sovereign ruler of all mankind. I strongly reverenced God as an omnipotent, omniscience, and omnipresent force within my life that was crucial in me making decisions within my everyday affairs. I believed I was predestined with a divine purpose of which had been determined before I was conceived, and with the help of God, I would walk within that calling and fulfill my purpose. I believed in God’s love and compassion for all people, and was committed to putting into practice on a daily basis that love, as an expression of his love. I believed I had been called to tear down partisan walls, and racial barriers. For those reasons, I believed God had directed me to the Republican Party. All of this being the core of my beliefs, I was convinced that it was time for me to join the GOP ranks because it was where God wanted me to be. I also felt the Republican Party was more in line with not just my moral and spiritual beliefs, but my political philosophy as well.

Unfortunately, what I believed and stood for were not always in line with the philosophy of those within the GOP. As the years went by, and I have had the opportunity to more closely examine the moral and religious fiber of the Party, too often I have found the “tare” among the “wheat” has sometimes overtaken the good crop of Republicans who are governed by high standards of moral and Godly integrity.

I found Republican tares within the Party who cry religion louder than others, and claimed themselves to be the most moral, while being clothed in wolves’ garments. For these Republicans, the religious rhetoric in which they espouse is seldom translated into the social conscious and political arena, unless it is being used to exploit or impact a political issue. Quite to the contrary, they actually practice under handedly, just the opposite of what historically the Republican Party stood for. This was quite a disturbing awakening for me, especially since these were the kinds of people, in most cases who were out front, serving in elected and appointed leadership, and had become the face of the Republican Party.

In some cases, I found the only difference between the Ku Klux Klan, and the “tares” within some of the leadership of the Republican Party was that the KKK wore white robes, with hoods to cowardly veil their faces and hide their identity, while on the other hand, the “Republican tares” have chosen to clothe themselves in sanctimonious religious robes, and brazenly portray themselves as religious political zealots. With Bible and flag in one hand, and a whip in the other, they keep in line and in check African-American Republicans, with racial bigotry and selective inclusion, while singing unconvincing refrains of minority inclusion.
As a Republican, somehow I became subscribed to an ultra-conservative white Republican group. One day I assume by mistake, I received an e-mail from another ultra conservative religious Republican group, apparently connected with the group I was subscribed to, and with the John Birch Society. I am sure they did not know I was a woman of color, otherwise they would have never allowed it to be sent to me. It ranted and raged about several moral issues with a hint of racial prejudice. But nowhere was there any mention of racial profiling, social injustices, racial discrimination, etc. Seeing the John Birch connection, I responded back and told the sender how offended I was to have received the e-mail. Needless to say, that was the last e-mail I received. At least that is what I thought!

Several months later, I received a second e-mail. This one came around Memorial Day, and insisted that we look at the patriotic contributions made by missionary John Birch to our society. It consisted of fifteen pages or more of accolades for John Birch. Surely this could not have been the same John Birch who excluded blacks and counted them as inferior. It is this kind of awareness of the type of individuals who have gravitated into the party, under a religious pretense of morality, that has made me understand just how much the Republican Party has provided a cloak for racist whites, who wish to practice racial hate and bigotry within the political confines of the party under the guise of religion and patriotism. It is these kinds of individuals who now feel very comfortable within the GOP. They are able to fit in because all they have to do is wave the flag, and “tote-n-quote” the Bible as a means of hiding the overt practices of racial prejudice behind the fictitious pretense of the patriotic theme for God and Country.

This is not to say that all white Republicans who reverence God are racists. Neither is it meant as an insult to those who place God first, as He should be, then family and country. However, a closer look at the Republican leadership will reveal a party that provides a refuge and an asylum for political Pharisees who are zealous in maintaining the outward appearance, while underneath, their robes of self proclaimed religious superiority are filled down to the hemline, with racial hatred, and self-serving quests for power. How else could I explain the absence of African-Americans within the Republican Party, and the party leadership’s blatant attempts to block the recruitment of blacks? How else could I explain the struggles I now faced, and the silent condoning of the racial exclusion of African-Americans who desired to be Republicans, and to have a place at the table, and full participation within the Party? How else could I explain the Christians, and even ministers and pastors within the Party who participated or who knew how badly I was being treated, and how unwelcomed the Caucus was being received, and sat back, and did and said nothing? Or those who ignored my plea for help, which was made in Christianly love, and with a desire to come together to reason and work out the problems we were having, rather than expose and hurt the Party? Without anyone being willing to talk with me, I had no other choice than to believe this was the underlying reason; because they were religious racists who talked of God, but did not practice what they preached.

The greatest hurt, as a Christian African-American Republican, and as a member of the clergy was to learn that some of those who were pastors, ministers, Sunday/Sabbath school teachers, Bible study leaders, and church goers were among the most hypocritical and racist within the Republican Party. They preached, taught, and advocated one gospel, and lived a totally different one when it came to blacks. Inside the Party that claimed to be the moral voice of the nation, were found the secret sins of religious hypocrisy and racism. What good was it to champion the cause for the posting of the Ten Commandments on the walls of public facilities, when it was not etched within the hearts of those who advocated for the right for it to be there? “Love thou neighbor as thou self. Thou shall not bear false witness against thou neighbor.” Neither of these commandments seemed to have applied to those who violated them. The reality of these two commandments, and other godly principles, just did not translate into practical godly principles when it came to dealing with me and other blacks within the Republican Party.
Personally, I try to not judge any person’s salvation or personal relationship with God, because that is between them and God. Also, we all are human, and while still in this fleshly nature, we are destined to make mistakes. I have made my share of mistakes, and so has everyone else. So, I do not mean at all to sound judgmental. But it was even harder to see that the very same congressman who despised and attempted to destroy me, had headed the National Prayer Breakfast; called the nation to prayer; and taught Sunday School, forever talking the “God talk”. He was among those who so easily have forgotten what they had taught, and preached. Seeing this and how others condoned and even supported his actions, I longed for the Republicans of old who were the “wheat” of the Party.

I also wondered where were those Republicans of Reconstruction who stood with, and championed the cause of blacks to be included within the Party and its leadership. Where were those Republicans who shared the desire to see the inclusion and full participation of all races within the Party? Seeing more “tares” than “wheat” at the helm of the Republican Party’s appointed and elected leadership, I almost was convinced that the days of Republicans having robes and wings were fast fleeing or no longer existed. Now growing in the place of what once was “wheat” were nothing more than “religious tares”, which had no conscious or desire to do what was morally right, especially in matters of race.

It seemed those who behaved the worse, often were those who were the most active within the Republican Party, and most reverenced in their churches. Their racial hatred, greed, and the quest for power were now the driving forces, which prompted them to exhibit such wicked and callous behavior, even among those who made confessions that their God, and the God of the Republican Party, was the exact same God of love.

Many years have passed since my first encounter with Republicans. But now as I have grown, I now know that not all God’s Republicans have robes or wings. But thank God there are still those who do!