Sure, we all know the major black republicans like Allen West, Artur Davis and Clarence Thomas. But some famous faces have managed to slip under the radar when it comes to their affiliation with the GOP. Even though the party’s presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, is capturing zero percent of the black vote, there are still a number of African Americans who align themselves with the Republicans.
Several prominent black members of both the Abolitionist and Civil Rights movements are known for their ties to the party, when its political ideology differed a great deal from its present-day stance. While major figures like Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth were known members of the party, other potential affiliations like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s remain unknown officially. Even some current members may surprise you a bit from wrestler turned actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, to rappers LL Cool J and 50 Cent who have both given the party some support.
Check out the slideshow below and let us know if you’re surprised to learn some of these men and women are members of the GOP.
1. Don King
Don King has consistently supported Republican candidates. In 2005 he told New York Magazine: “George Walker Bush–he’s tough-minded but he’s tender-hearted. He’s trying to reclaim that glory of that American Dream for all Americans.”
2. Karl Malone
Former basketball player Karl Malone is a registered Republican. He was also a member of the National Rifle Association.
3.Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman supported Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. She also fought to defeat the Confederacy as a soldier in the Union Army.
4. Sojourner Truth
During the Civil War abolitionist Sojourner Truth recruited black troops to fight in the Union Army. She was also a supporter of Abraham Lincoln and met with him during the Civil War.”
5. The Rock
The Rock is a registered Republican. He also was invited to speak at the 2000 Republican Convention.
6. 50 Cent
50 Cent told GQ in 2005 that George W. Bush is” incredible … a gangsta. I wanna meet George Bush, just shake his hand and tell him how much of me I see in him.”
7. LL Cool J
In 2002 LL Cool J supported NY Governor George Pataki. He also attended the Republican Convention in 2004.
8. Eazy-E
Eazy-E’s donation to many L.A. charities earned him an invite to the ”Salute to the Commander in Chief” luncheon in Washington in 1991. The event was sponsored by The National Republican Senatorial Committee and George Bush and 1,400 Republicans were in attendance. The rapper’s spokesman said he ”really loves the President. He thinks he’s a great humanitarian and that he did a great job with Desert Storm.”
9. Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington acted as an advisor to presidents Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft because he accepted racial subordination. He was also invited to the White House by Teddy Roosevelt.
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