Republicans Celebrate Black History Month   ...1 of 5 >
Feb. 4, 2014 - The Republican National Committee, which has stepped up its efforts to reach out to black and other minority voters as part of its Growth and Opportunity Project, honored three black Republicans at its 2nd Annual Black Republican Traillblazers Awards.  Over three hundred people attended the awards lunch at the Historic Howard Theatre.  Guests enjoyed an energetic performance by the Patrick Lundy and the Ministers of Music choir and heard speeches from RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and Texas Education Commissioner Michael E. Williams.  Michigan businessman Bill Brooks, Ohio Judge Sara Harper and Dr. Louis Sullivan of Atlanta, the former Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, received awards.
Dr. Louis Sullivan and his wife Eve.
RNC Co-chair Susan Day and her chief of staff Mike Vallante.
A bus brought attendees from Ohio.
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A May 2013 Census Bureau report, "The Diversifying Electorate—Voting Rates by Race and Hispanic Origin in 2012 (and Other Recent Elections)" (PDF), found that 66.2% of blacks voted in the Nov. 2012 presidential election compared to 64.1% of non-Hispanic whites, 48.0% of Hispanics and 47.3% of Asians.  Blacks accounted for 13.4% of the voting population, up from 12.3% in 2008.  According to an earlier analysis (>) by David Bositis, Ph.D. of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, President Obama received 93 percent of the black vote in 2012.  Bositis also noted that "in the most important contest of the election--Ohio--the black share of the vote increased dramatically; the black vote was also strong in Florida, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia."