The Congressional Black Caucus has already begun discussing strategies to deal with Trump administration policies they say could set minorities back decades, Politico reports.
Although supporters of President-elect Donald Trump say that blacks have nothing to fear, caucus members say that his campaign rhetoric and his Cabinet nominees show that their concerns are warranted.
Of particular concern to the group is Jeff Sessions, the prospective attorney general who was denied a federal judgeship in 1986 over allegations of racism; and senior adviser Steve Bannon, who led the far-right website Breitbart, which appeals to white nationalists.
The caucus is also worried about the policies of Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos. She advocates school choice and supports voucher programs, which Democrats say takes away money away from public schools, which the overwhelming percentage of black students attend.
"The stakes are incredibly high and our community is counting on us as the last line of defense between Donald Trump and the worst of what America could offer," Rep. Hakeem Jeffries told Politico.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver added that, "This is not the normal incoming president. We had no plan for George Bush. … But this is not the norm."
Some black congressmen, however, are urging the African American community to give Trump a chance.
Sen. Tim Scott, who is the only black Republican in the Senate, told CBS News' "Face The Nation" that blacks should judge Trump on "what he does" in the White House and that minority communities would respond to someone who had constructive ideas.
Preaching the same open-minded message is billionaire businessman Robert Johnson, who backed Hillary Clinton, telling Politico that fellow blacks "should see this as an opportunity to engage President-elect Trump and his administration," adding that, "Being afraid and fearful is an emotion. It's not a strategy to increase black political gains, economic gains and social gains."
He emphasized that it made no sense to vote "as if one party is our permanent friend and the other party is our permanent enemy," which could result in Democrats taking them for granted.
But these voices are being drowned out by those say that despite Trump's attempts to appeal to African Americans, he has shown a deep misunderstanding of the community and made offensive remarks. They also point out that Trump was at the forefront of the "birther movement," which caucus members said was a racially motivated attempt to delegitimize the nation's first black president.
Caucus members told Politico they have not ruled out trying to work with Trump on potential areas of common ground, but said they will be united and focused in their goals, emphasizing that "We’ve dealt with loud, bombastic people our entire life" who have tried to harm the interests of the black community.
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