"Things are changing, and it's time as a black community that we reevaluate the Republican Party," senior Alexis Marison told a group of around 40 in the Tisch Library last night.
Her remarks were part of a discussion hosted by the Tufts Republicans and the Pan-African Alliance (PAA) about why 90 percent of African Americans vote for Democrats.
Marison, the political chair for the PAA, suggested the trend originated because "both African Americans and the Republican Party have historically misunderstood each other."
She therefore called on the Republican Party to "articulate our common goals."
More specifically, PAA members pressed the Tufts Republicans to explain what they planned on doing to attract and support the African-American community on campus.
Tufts Republicans members pointed to their support for American troops and sponsorship of voting initiatives as ways to bridge any gaps that might exist.
But they also conceded that there is room for improvement. "I would love to see more issues on campus that are non race-based," he said.
Junior and PAA member Emerson Luke agreed. "We should do a better job focusing on the issues and not on the partisanship," he said.
-by Gillian Javetski
