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DALLAS - A Dallas woman wrote a book featuring Black people across America who affiliate with the Republican Party.
It's titled "Being Black and Republican in the Age of Trump."
Watson says she wrote the book because she wants people to know the Republican Party is the party of opportunity for all.
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The Dallas resident’s book was released in October before the election that saw the GOP take control of the White House and both houses of Congress and an increase in Blacks voting Republican.
"We're talking about 9% of Black women and 19% of Black men. That's huge," she said.
The book is a compilation of Black voices across the country who are active Republicans.
"People think or assume that Black Republicans don't like the Black community, and that is so not true. They think that Black Republicans are not proud of being Black. That is so not true," Watson said. "It's just the opposite. Black people who are also Republicans are just independent thinkers and say, ‘We have the right, as does everyone else, to choose what is best for us.’"
SMU Political Science Professor Cal Jillson says younger Black men may waffle on so-called ‘party loyalty.’
"There is some movement in that direction, and part of it is the maturation and growth and development of the Black middle class," he said. "There is a cohesion in the Black community that understands that the reception of Blacks in the country sort of ebbs and flows, and you might be a very capable Black citizen. But if you're lumped in by discrimination against the Black community, generally, you're still limited. And those limits are assaulted by the Democratic Party in recent decades more than the Republican Party."
It’s part of why Watson believes some Blacks have moved to the right.
"We're people. We deserve the same opportunities, the same respect," she said. But too often, our votes have been taken for granted."
A book signing will be held Wednesday night. Contact karen.watson@gopbuzz.com for more information.