WATCH: Black Conservatism Nothing New, Says Professor

Angela K. Lewis, an associate professor of political science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, wrote a book called Conservatism in the Black Community: To the Right and Misunderstood.

In the clip, she talks about the history of black Americans voting Republican and that voting this way isn’t a new idea. At one time, it would have been “unheard of” for blacks to vote for Democrats. In the New Deal era, however, blacks began casting the ballot for liberals. Ironically, Democrats fought against civil rights legislation.

While blacks vote overwhelming for Democrats during the presidential election, Professor Lewis says there are more blacks voting conservative in state and local races.

While many people are already aware that blacks used to vote for Republicans, the professor explains in her book what conservatism means to blacks today. She breaks black conservatives into four groups, and the stigma is attached to two of these groups: individualist conservatives and neo-conservatives. The other two are the “black right,” or evangelicals, and Afro-centric conservatives.

Interesting stuff. Check out the clip for more.