Blacks and the Tea Party/Occupy Movements

Since the onset of the grassroots conservative movement, the Tea Party has been ridiculed over and over for the lack of diversity within their ranks. Additionally, the Tea Party has been accused several times of outright racism during their various events, rallies, and protests. Several signs and posters are claimed to have racist undertones. However, the support of influential black conservative like businessman and Republican Candidate Herman Cain and Representative Allan West, as well as reports of fake racism to discredit the movement have been somewhat successful in fending off attacks. However, it is interesting to note that the lack of minority, particularly African-American, presence at the Tea Party events is quite normally blamed solely on the Tea Party, not on African Americans.

However, a similar and more recent movement has seen a similar lack of diversity in their masses: Occupy Wall Street. Interestingly, a recent Washington Post article by Stacey Patton has tackled the issue in a very different way from which most have handled the Tea Party's lack of Blacks. Instead of blaming the Occupy Movement for the lack of diversity, the blame is instead placed on African-Americans and their unwillingness to join the liberal response to the conservative Tea Party.

I believe this change, although only one example, is yet another instance of the lack of fairness in today's mainstream media. So far, I've mostly been able to identify a liberal tilt, and this article certainly does not disqualify that claim.