Byron Donalds Called Black Conservatives "Jim Crow"

Rep. Byron Donalds, a MAGA Republican from Florida and Trump supporter, is under fire for his recent comments in Philadelphia attempting to draw Black voters to Trump. Donalds stated:

"You see, during Jim Crow, the Black family was together...more Black people voted conservatively." [...](https://www.inquirer.com/politics/philadelphia/bryon-donalds-philadelphia-jim-crow-20240605.html)

Black Democrats Criticize Donalds

• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called out Donalds' "outlandish" claim that Black Americans were better off during Jim Crow.
  [https://jeffries.house.gov/2024/06/05/video-leader-jeffries-floor-remarks-on-extreme-maga-republican-attempts-to-rewrite-history/](https://jeffries.house.gov/2024/06/05/video-leader-jeffries-floor-remarks-on-extreme-maga-republican-attempts-to-rewrite-history/)
• The Congressional Black Caucus demanded an apology from Donalds for misrepresenting history for political gain.
  [https://cbc.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2517](https://cbc.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2517)
• Vice President Kamala Harris criticized Florida Republicans, saying they are trying to "rewrite our true history." [https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/10/politics/kamala-harris-byron-donalds/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/10/politics/kamala-harris-byron-donalds/index.html)

The Truth Behind Donalds' Claims

Black Marriage Rates

• PolitiFact experts found some truth to Donalds' claim about higher Black marriage rates during Jim Crow, but critical context such as social and economic patterns was missing.
  [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4850739/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4850739/)
• Other factors contributed to family fracturing, including the decline of unskilled manufacturing jobs impacting Black men and higher rates of death and incarceration.
  [https://www.brookings.edu/articles/black-women-are-earning-more-college-degrees-but-that-alone-wont-close-race-gaps/](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/black-women-are-earning-more-college-degrees-but-that-alone-wont-close-race-gaps/)
• University of Pennsylvania professor Dorothy E. Roberts stated that civil rights enforcement and social welfare programs have strengthened Black families.
  [Email interview](mailto:Dorothy%20E.%20Roberts%20interview)

Black Political Motivations During Jim Crow

• Historians agreed that it's difficult to prove how Black Americans voted during Jim Crow, as most were disenfranchised in the South.
• Black voters in the North during Jim Crow supported Republicans due to Abraham Lincoln's legacy, but this doesn't equate to modern conservatism.\
• The association of conservatism with the Republican Party is a more recent phenomenon, and Black voters have historically supported the Democratic Party on racial issues despite conservative social views.\
• University of Pennsylvania historian Mary Frances Berry and Harvard University historian Alexander Keyssar provided historical context for Black voting patterns.
  [Email interviews](mailto:Mary%20Frances%20Berry%20and%20Alexander%20Keyssar%20interviews)

Sources:

• Philadelphia Inquirer
• NBC
• The Washington Post
• NPR
• Kelly Raley, Megan Sweeney, and Danielle Wondra
• Email interviews with academics