Black Republicans, one of the many issues on the list of social taboos within the black community, can be cause for negative attention for African Americans with conservative views.
The Howard University College Republicans, one of the two student political parties on campus, is struggling to stay afloat due to a lack of members, which is reflective of the national percentage of blacks who vote Republican in the national elections - under 15 percent.
The question as to why there are so few black Republicans involved both on campus and on the national front in politics may be raised.
Michael Varner, president of the Howard University College Republicans, said the answer is simple: it is a cycle that has been ingrained in the minds of African Americans from birth.
"People have been raised this way," Varner said. "Because your parents are in the Democratic Party, you're in the Democratic Party. Blacks have been socialized that way. And if you're not Democratic, then you better be Independent. We [Republicans] run into problems and conflicts all the time…it's tough."
He continued, "Just about everybody in school knows that I'm a Republican and people acknowledge me as a Republican negatively all the time."
The Howard University College Republicans stand behind three tenants that drive their organization: political diversity, intellectual discussion and democracy, which line up with the goals of the National Black Republican Association (NBRA).
The NBRA's goal is to return blacks to the party they originally aligned themselves with and to inform them on how black Republicans are fighting for advancement.
One of the main points that Varner tries to stress about the Republican Party and his organization is political unity.
"We want to focus less on registering people as Republicans," he said. "We want to redefine unity. It's not healthy for one group to just do all one thing. We want to try to create a diverse student body."
At a campus of more than 10,000 undergraduate students, only two attended the Howard University College Republicans' first meeting of the year.
"There are people that are gonna say they are Republicans to stir conversation or to appear prominent, but where are they?" Varner asked.
He continued, "I would strongly challenge the idea that there are more Republicans at Howard University, because I do not usually see them come out."
Khamal Patterson, a junior political science major, was one of the two students who attended the meeting and is currently exploring Republican views.
"Sometimes people do shy away from controversial issues," Patterson said. "People feel if they touch a certain issue, they may hit a nerve with other people or spark a debate that they may not be prepared to handle."
Patterson continued, "When you say things, you have to have every aspect of your argument right."
Many people associate the Republican Party with extreme right wing conservative views.
Contrary to popular thought, there are Republican Party members who have liberal views.
Ultimately, Republicans believe the government should have very little responsibility as far as the people are concerned, and that the masses should have individual responsibility.
In addition, Republicans believe the government should not be responsible for public programs, such as welfare, public housing, social security, food programs and public health care.
Referring to the apparent lack of active student Republicans on campus, Varner said he would be willing to pay someone to find all the supposed "masses of Republicans around here."
Despite the lack of boisterous conservatives, few can blame those who choose to be silent.
When contacted, other Howard Republicans refrained from commenting on their political affiliations in fear of more negative feedback from their peers.
