Politics
In early editions, Dr. Rickey Hill and Dr. Willie Legette (1989; 1990; 1991; Hill, 1988) assessed the potential impact of the 1990 Census on the possibility of electing an African American to Congress from South Carolina. They concluded that a Black congressional district with a strong economic base was not only possible but past due. They also saw greater opportunity for more African Americans to be elected to local, county, and state offices. The Sixth Congressional District, from which South Carolina’s only Black Congressman has been elected, was subsequently drawn. Also, due in part to a Republican and African American-backed reapportionment plan, an increased number of Black state representatives and state senators have been elected, but that has come with a severe cost, according to Dr. Todd Shaw, a USC political science professor, and Mr. Willie Black, a Benedict College political Science instructor (2007). To create Black districts, Republicans drew other districts that would favor themselves, which has resulted in a Republican-dominated legislature that virtually ignores Blacks.
Also, African Americans have failed to win statewide elective offices despite moderate attractive candidates. Additionally, Dr. Shaw and Mr. Black (2007) explain in the current publication that part of the problem is bloc voting by Whites, particularly the Republican majority, who refuse to support Black statewide candidates. Dr. Hill (1993; 1996; 2000) argued that the sizeable number of local, county and statewide Black elected and appointed officials need a combined strategy to address issues such as poverty and poor educational resources. Dr. Shaw and Mr. Black (2007) suggest Black politicians take advantage of opportunities for coalitions across racial lines and political ideology, just as they did to create more Black legislative districts, but they should be careful to make sure the Black community truly benefits.