CRP Conference Organizes African-American Republican Leaders

African American Republican leaders from around California gathered in Burbank last Thursday for an intensive day long leadership conference focused on growing the number and effectiveness of African American Republican activists throughout our state. It was one of the most extraordinary events I've seen in my 20 years in Republican politics.

Lynn Swann, the former NFL player and former Republican nominee for Pennsylvania governor participated, along with California African American Republican leaders like Covina Mayor Pro Tem Walt Allen, Assembly candidate and San Ramon Mayor Abram Wilson, Fontana Councilmember (and CRP regional Vice Chair) Acquanetta Warren, PUC Commissioner Timothy Simon, Southern California Edison's Tommy Ross, Bobby McDonald of Orange County's Black Chamber of Commerce, Shannon Reeves of the RNC (and former CRP Secretary) and many others. The room was packed.

Several TV crews covered the event, with the program focused on leadership and political training, networking, and mapping out the next steps for building our party in California's African American communities.

We know that our Republican ideas of entrepreneurship, strong families, promoting personal responsibility work wherever they're implemented, and many African-Americans in our state share our values.

The winner of a political contest, over time, is determined by the number and the effectiveness of the activists on each side. The conference serves as our organizational focal point for a sustained effort to maximize the number and the effectiveness of our African American Republican activists so we can bring the benefits of Republican leadership and principles to even more California communities.

With the number and quality of the participants, we're off to a great start.