OPINION:
For too long, Democrats have taken the votes of minority communities for granted while delivering nothing in return. Under the leadership of Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, the RNC has invested heavily in engagement with these communities to offer an alternative to Democrats’ failing agenda. The centerpiece of these efforts is our RNC Community Centers, 33 of which have already opened in Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Jewish American communities across the nation.
This week is our national rollout of the new RNC Republican Civics Initiative (RCI)—a program designed to help legal immigrants study for the civics portion of the U.S. naturalization exam, helping them learn more about our country while preparing them for full legal citizenship.
RNC regional engagement coordinators have been certified to teach a four-class civics course based on the U.S. Customs and Immigration Services curriculum to prepare prospective citizens for their citizenship exam. Future citizens will learn about the institutions that Republicans fight to protect and the history that makes America so unique. And as they interact with us, we hope they’ll want to learn more about the political process and what Republicans stand for.
Legal immigrants who want to become full citizens share the conservative values of hard work, family, and community that bind us all together as Americans, no matter what country they come from. With the big tent GOP they will have a home, and we will continue to fight for their ability to achieve the American Dream.
The RCI is yet another example of the RNC’s investment in expanding our Party. But it’s more than that. It makes clear that the GOP is the Party of legal immigration. We know that America is a beacon of freedom to the world, and we welcome with open arms those who are willing to abide by the rule of law, come here legally, and contribute to our society. Meanwhile, the Democrats are the party of illegal immigration, pandering, and standing for open borders.
One look at the House Republican Conference confirms how welcoming the GOP is. Just last month, Rep. Mayra Flores’ historic victory made her the first Mexican-born naturalized U.S. citizen in Congress. California Republican Congresswomen Young Kim and Michelle Steel, both legal immigrants from Korea, became two of the first Korean-Americans elected to Congress. Republican members of Congress Carlos Gimenez and Victoria Spartz, immigrants from Cuba and the Soviet Union, respectively, speak powerfully about the horrors of communism and the promise of the American Dream. And this November, the GOP will have candidates like Karina Lipsman and Hung Cao who came to the U.S. as refugees when they were children and now are proud Republicans.
The RCI is also a concrete example of our Party’s belief in civics education—a belief that stems from our uncompromising defense of American exceptionalism. More than 30 years ago in his Farewell Address, President Ronald Reagan warned that “we’ve got to teach history based not on what’s in fashion but what’s important.” He’s still right. The American spirit must be renewed every generation as a new group of Americans comes to cherish the ideals our forefathers stood for and the institutions they built.
“A republic, if you can keep it,” said Ben Franklin about the Constitution’s proposed form of government as he exited Independence Hall at the close of the Constitutional Convention. Republicans are doing the work to keep it through the RCI.
Our government must be accountable to the people, and the people must know how to hold the government accountable. Civics education and full legal citizenship will give these legal permanent residents the handbook to make their voices heard and the foundation from which to build informed opinions about American politics. And as long as we’re “the last, best hope of man on earth,” it will be our duty to take in those who seek shelter from tyranny.
The RNC Republican Civics Initiative will give these future citizens the tools to participate in our national debate and share in their pursuit of the American Dream.
- Paris Dennard is the National Spokesperson and Director of Black Media Affairs for the Republican National Committee. Follow him on Twitter: @PARISDENNARD.
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