What power those words have—uniting all those across this country to aim for the common goal of a restored America and tying us into a global movement of popular revolution that is sweeping away the diseased old liberal establishment.
In my opening chapter I asked what it meant to be a black American. The answer? Exactly the same as a white, Latino, Asian, or Jewish American. All groups have their own story to tell, and ours is one marked with suffering and tragedy, yet triumph through strength. In modern America, we are all afforded the same opportunities, the same chances to make something of ourselves, the same potential to turn our lives, no matter how humble the beginnings, into ones of significance in whatever form that may be. That is the vision of the Constitution, that was the vision of the Founding Fathers, and that must be the aspirational peak of young Americans, no matter what creed or color.
For too long we have let these dreams and hopes be dictated to us by those who seek to keep us mentally enslaved. St. Paul writes in his Letter to the Galatians, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery”—how potent these words still seem today, thousands of years after they were written. A people who had been set free then voluntarily chose to resubmit themselves to slavery, not in the physical sense of chains and bondage, but in the even more powerful sense of being mentally captured. This mental slavery, like some sort of twisted Stockholm syndrome, demands its addictive fix every four years, when our slave masters come rattling our cages, corralling us to pledge our permanent sacrifice: vote for us and your life will be easy; accept your victimhood.
People tell me I am a fighter, so here is my call to arms: black America, break free and do not look back. More and more are crossing into the Promised Land; join them. Once you discover the incredible power of realizing that you are answerable only to yourself and God and that no politician owns you, no politically correct agenda dictates to you, no ideology subjugates you, no history binds you, and, yes, no one political party controls your vote—then you have found freedom.
If black America finds its free voice, if there is a blackout from the liberal establishment, and if the occasional voices of those freed from the mental slavery of the Left turn, instead, into a chorus, then black America will finally find that its suffering may turn a corner. The real issues facing our community will be answered, and we will see the beauty and richness of our history as well as the promise and vision of our future. In President Trump we have the beginning. The gates of the liberal castle are under attack; we must now batter them down and storm the fortress of the liberal order.
Join the ideological battle now.
Let us turn the lights off in the liberal establishments of America as we shut the door behind us.
Let us make this blackout a reality.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A book is a labor of love and a testament to the proverb that it takes a village.
First, I would like to thank to my grandfather. Thank you for the courage that it took to live through all that you did—with morality, faith, and love.
To my siblings, Ashlee, Brittany, and Dante: we broke the cycle. I am proud of us every single day for choosing something different from our upbringing. To my cousin Kymia, thank you for consistently reminding me of who I am and who I never have to be.
To my husband, George, for standing by my side every day. For choosing me, for loving me, and for your faith in me and this completely uncharted course that we are on.
Thank you to my creative director, Jesse Grainger, for always believing in my vision, even when no one else did.
Finally, to the whole team at Threshold Editions, including Jennifer Long, associate publisher; and most important, to Natasha Simons, my rock-star editor; Natasha, you have a heart of gold, and I will forever be grateful for your kindness and graciousness.
God bless you all.… And here’s to a 2020 Blackout!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CANDACE OWENS is a political commentator and host of the Candace Owens Show. She is the founder of the national #Blexit movement and tours the country delivering speeches to capacity crowds. Originally from Stamford, Connecticut, she now lives in Washington, D.C.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR:
SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Candace-Owens
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@Threshold_Books
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NOTES
The pages referenced in these notes refer to the page numbers in the print edition. Clicking on a page number will take you to the ebook location that corresponds to the beginning of that page in the print edition.
FOREWORD BY LARRY ELDER
xiv Walter Williams quote: “Black Families and the Welfare State,” YouTube video, :50, posted by LibertyPen, November 8, 2013, https://www.youtu.be.com/YzNYCPZXvlw.
xiv Moynihan Report: Daniel Patrick Moynihan, “The Negro Family: The Case for National Action,” Office of Policy Planning and Research, United States Department of Labor, March 1965, https://web.stanford.edu/~mrosenfe/Moynihan’s%20The%20Negro%20Family.pdf.
xv CDC report: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, “Number and Percent of Births to Unmarried Women, by Race and Hispanic Origin: United States, 1940–2000,” https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/statab/t001x17.pdf.
xvii Time/CNN poll: Associated Press, “Most black teenagers say racism has little effect on day-to-day lives,” Deseret News, November 17, 1997, https://www.deseret.com/1997/11/17/19346193/most-black-teenagers-say-racism-has-little-effect-on-day-to-day-lives.
xix Dean Baquet quote: “Executive Editor of the NYT: The Left Doesn’t Want to Hear Thoughtful Disagreement,” YouTube video, 1:39, posted by NTK Network, May 31, 2017, https://www.youtu.be.com/AEUHdOx-DE.
xx Orlando Patterson quote: Orlando Patterson, “Op-Ed; Race, Gender and Liberal Fallacies,” New York Times, October 21, 1991, https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/20/opinion/op-ed-race-gender-and-liberal-fallacies.html.
INTRODUCTION
4 Kelly Miller, “Miller Tells Why Roosevelt Deserves Support of Race,” Pittsburgh Courier, March 21, 1936.
6 Janelle Jones, John Schmitt, and Valerie Wilson, “50 Years After the Kerner Commission: African Americans are better off in many ways but are still disadvantaged by racial inequality,” Economic Policy Institute, https://www.epi.org/publication/50-years-after-the-kerner-commission/.
2: ON FAMILY
45 “Conservatives, Black Lives Matter, Racism,” Larry Elder interview with Scott Rubin on The Rubin Report, YouTube video, posted by The Rubin Report, January 15, 2016, https://www.youtu.be.com/IFqVNPwsLNo.
48 “Slave Marriages, Families Were Often Shattered by Auction Block,” Michel Martin interview with Dr. Tera Hunter on NPR’s Tell Me More, February 11, 2010, https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123608207.
51 “Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1964,” United States Census Bureau, July 1964, https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/1964/compendia/statab/85ed/1964–02.pdf.
53 On children raised by single mothers: Isabel V. Sawhill, “Are Children Raised with Absent Fathers Worse Off?” Brookings Institution, July 15, 2014, https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/are-children-raised-with-absent-fathers-worse-off/.
54 On welfare and the family: Kay Coles James, “Why We Must Be Bold on Welfare Reform,” Heritage Foundation, May 12, 2018, https://www.heritage.org/welfare/commentary/why-we-must-be-bold-welfare-reform.
58 Daniel Patri
ck Moynihan, “The Negro Family: The Case for National Action,” Office of Policy Planning and Research, United States Department of Labor, March 1965, https://web.stanford.edu/~mrosenfe/Moynihan’s%20The%20Negro%20Family.pdf.
59 John J. Conley, “Margaret Sanger was a eugenicist. Why are we still celebrating her?” America: The Jesuit Review, November 27, 2017, https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2017/11/27/margaret-sanger-was-eugenicist-why-are-we-still-celebrating-her.
60 Quotes on sterilization: Margaret Sanger, “My Way to Peace,” speech delivered January 17, 1932, https://www.nyu.edu/projects/sanger/webedition/app/documents/show.php?sanger-Doc=129037.xml.
61 CDC abortion statistics: “Abortion Surveillance—United States, 2016,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance summaries, November 29, 2019, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/ss/ss6811a1.htm.
62 Life Issues Institute data: Paige Winfield Cunningham, “ ‘Black babies matter’: The black anti-abortion movement’s political problem,” Washington Examiner, September 28, 2015, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/black-babies-matter-the-black-anti-abortion-movements-political-problems.
62 https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/11/29/u-s-birth-rate-falls-to-a-record-low-decline-is-greatest-among-immigrants/3/.
62 Rev. Dr. Luke Bobo quote: John Eligon, “When ‘Black Lives Matter’ Is Invoked in the Abortion Debate,” New York Times, July 6, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/06/us/black-abortion-missouri.html.
3: ON FEMINISM
68 New York Times: “Trump Announces Brett Kavanaugh as Supreme Court Nominee: Full Video and Transcript,” New York Times, July 10, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/09/us/politics/trump-supreme-court-announcement-transcript.html.
69 Politico: “Full Transcript: Christine Blasey Ford’s Opening Statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee,” Politico, September 26, 2018, https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/26/christine-blasey-ford-opening-statement-senate-845080.
69 Burgess Everett, “Woman Denies Attending Party Where Alleged Kavanaugh Assault Occurred,” Politico, September 23, 2018, https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/22/kavanaugh-ford-woman-party-letter-836913.
70 Isaac Stanley-Becker, “Christine Blasey Ford’s Lawyer Debra Katz: The Feared Attorney of the #MeToo Moment,” Washington Post.com, September 24, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/09/24/meet-christine-blasey-fords-lawyer-debra-katz-nerves-of-steel-and-proud-to-be-among-the-top-10-plantiffs-attorneys-to-fear-most/.
72 “Help Christine Blasey Ford Organized by Team Christine Blasey Ford,” gofundme.com, September 18, 2018, https://www.gofundme.com/help-christine-blasey-ford.
76 Timothy Tyson, The Blood of Emmett Till (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2017).
78 Chris Irvine, “New York Woman, 20, Who Lied about Rapes, Appears to Roll Her Eyes in Court as She’s Jailed for a Year,” Fox News, August 24, 2018, https://www.foxnews.com/us/new-york-woman-20-who-lied-about-rapes-appears-to-roll-her-eyes-in-court-as-shes-jailed-for-a-year.
79 Harvey and Klein: Enjoli Francis and Bill Hutchinson, “ ‘I don’t forgive this woman, and she needs help’: Black child wrongly accused of grabbing ‘Cornerstore Caroline,’ ” ABC News.com, October 16, 2018, https://abcnews.go.com/US/white-woman-apologizes-alleging-black-child-assaulted-york/story?id=58505763.
83 Felton quote: “Biography: FELTON, Rebecca Latimer,” History, Art & Archives, United States House of Representatives, https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/F/FELTON,-Rebecca-Latimer-(F000069)/.
84 Jane Fonda: Alanna Vagianos, “Jane Fonda: People Are Listening Now Because Weinstein Victims Are ‘Famous and White,’ ” Huffington Post, includes clip of video from MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes, October 26, 2017, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jane-fonda-people-are-listening-now-because-weinstein-victims-are-famous-and-white_n_59f1e023e4b043885915a337.
4: ON OVERCIVILIZATION
88 Transcript, “Ruby Bridges: A Class of One,” PBS NewsHour, aired on February 18, 1997, https://civilrightsandwrongs.wee-bly.com/uploads/2/6/0/0/26007052/ruby_bridges_a_class_of_one_pbs_newshour_feb.pdf.
89 Williams 2018: Kristen Bayrakdarian, “BSU holds town hall exploring affinity housing,” Williams Record (Williams College), November 14, 2018, https://williamsrecord.com/2018/11/bsu-holds-town-hall-exploring-affinity-housing/.
90 Williams 2019: Williams Record editorial board, “On the need for affinity housing,” Williams Record, April 17, 2019, https://williamsrecord.com/2019/04/on-the-need-for-affinity-housing/.
92 Aryn Baker, “Inside the Modern Slave Trade Trapping African Migrants,” Time, March 14, 2019, https://time.com/longform/african-slave-trade/.
92 The Economist, “White Magic: The killing of albinos is overshadowing Malawi’s election,” May 11, 2019, https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2019/05/11/the-killing-of-albinos-is-overshadowing-malawis-election.
96 Christopher Brito, “Girl admits to lying about sixth grade classmates cutting off her dreadlocks,” CBS News, October 1, 2019, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/girl-dreadlocks-lied-classmates-boy-virginia-hairstyle-hoax/.
99 Tom Ascol, “The Cautionary Tale of Amari Allen,” Founders Ministries, October 3, 2019, https://founders.org/2019/10/03/the-cautionary-tale-of-amari-allen/.
101 Cristobal de Brey, Lauren Musu, Joel MacFarland, Sidney Wilkinson-Flicker, Melissa Diliberti, Anlan Zhang, Claire Branstetter, and Xialoei Wang, “Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups 2018,” U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, February 2019, https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2019/2019038.pdf.
5: ON SOCIALISM AND GOVERNMENT HANDOUTS
110 Franklin D. Roosevelt, statement on the National Industrial Recovery Act, June 16, 1933, http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/odnirast.html.
111 Sowell, Thomas, Economic Facts and Fallacies (New York: Basic Books, 2008) p. 9.
114 Frank Newport, “Democrats More Positive About Socialism Than Capitalism,” Gallup News, August 13, 2018, https://news.gallup.com/poll/240725/democrats-positive-socialism-capitalism.aspx.
115 Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party (Marx/Engels Selected Works, vol. 1, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1969, pp. 98–137), available here: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/Manifesto.pdf, p. 24.
119 Donald J. Trump, speech to the United Nations General Assembly, September 19, 2017, transcript hosted by the White House, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-72nd-session-united-nations-general-assembly/.
119 Margaret Thatcher, speech to Conservative Central Council, March 15, 1986, transcript hosted by Margaret Thatcher Foundation, available here: https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/106348.
121 NYC Community Health Profiles 2015, “Queens Community District 1: Long Island City and Astoria,” available here: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/data/2015chp-qn01.pdf.
122 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Twitter feed, tweet on November 13, 2018, https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1062210420830810113.
122 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Twitter feed, tweet on November 17, 2018, https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1063837473099456513.
124 Margaret Thatcher interview with Llew Gardner for Thames TV This Week, February 5, 1976, transcript hosted by Margaret Thatcher Foundation, https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/102953.
125 Winston Churchill, Why I Am a Free Trader (London, 1905), reprinted in Stead, Coming Men on Coming Questions (London, 1905) and Michael Wolff, ed., Collected Essays of Sir Winston Churchill (London, 1975, 4 vols.), II, 23.
126 Washington quote taken from Booker T. Washington Papers, National Negro Business League Files, hosted by the United States Library of Congress, http://lcweb2.loc.gov:8081/ammem/amrlhtml/dtnegbus.html.
6: ON EDUCATION
135 Thomas Sowell, Intellectuals and Race (New York: Basic Books, 2013), pp. 65–67
144 “The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2019,” ACT.org, 2019, htt
ps://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/National-CCCR-2019.pdf.
7: ON MEDIA
155 Margaret Sullivan, “NBC needs a transparent, external investigation of its failure to air Ronan Farrow’s #MeToo reporting,” Washington Post, November 5, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/nbc-needs-a-transparent-external-investigation-of-its-failure-to-air-ronan-farrows-metoo-reporting/2019/11/05/0c3a9ef8-ffdc-11e9–8501–2a7123a38c58_story.html.
159 Maya Rhodan, “Why It Matters if Obama Smokes (and Why It Doesn’t),” Time, June 10, 2015, updated June 11, 2015, https://time.com/3916342/barack-obama-smoking/.
162 Joshua Zeitz, “What Everyone Gets Wrong About LBJ’s Great Society,” Politico Magazine, January 28, 2018, https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/01/28/lbj-great-society-josh-zeitz-book-216538.
164 Adam Serwer, “Lyndon Johnson was a civil rights hero. But also a racist,” MSNBC.com, April 11, 2014, updated April 12, 2014, http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/lyndon-johnson-civil-rights-racism.
164 Robert Caro, Master of the Senate (New York: Vintage Books, 2003).
165 Jack Bernhardt, “Why Lyndon Johnson, a truly awful man, is my political hero,” Guardian, January 22, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/22/lyndon-johnson-anniversary-death-awful-man-my-political-hero.
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