Libertarianism and Ethnicity

At present, libertarianism is mostly prevalent in the First World, i.e. Europe, North America and Oceania. In the majority of first world countries, whites comprise the largest ethnic/racial grouping. Hence, it is no surprise to realise that many libertarians within these nations are white. As libertarians, we naturally would advocate the creation of a freer society. In order to best accomplish this, we should reach out to the widest amount of people as possible, irrespective of their racial origin, gender, sexual orientation, etc. If libertarians are to achieve this goal, then libertarianism must be made appealing to the differing groups within society. So how exactly would we diversify the libertarian movement and attract members from the various groupings of the community?

Voting attitudes of ethnic minorities

Though I whole-heartedly would describe myself as a libertarian, I am not white. I am black and therefore am a member of an ethnic minority within a largely white first world nation (the United Kingdom). My father is from Ghana in West Africa and my mother was born in the Caribbean, though I was born in the UK. As far as black people in the UK go, most affiliate with or vote for the Labour Party, which is traditionally the principal left-wing political party in Britain. Psephological research (psephology is the study of elections and voting behaviour) denotes that in many nations, ethnic minorities are more inclined to vote for left-of-centre political parties. This may be because right-wing parties are perceived as being racist by ethnic minorities. Also, as is the case in the United States for example, ethnic minorities suffer from higher rates of deprivation and social exclusion. Psephological data does suggest that less affluent members of a society possess tendencies to vote for leftist/socialist political parties, since they believe such organisations better serve working class interests.

So, it’s been demonstrated that members of ethnic minorities support leftist organisations and hold little connection to libertarian ideals. What methods of outreach exist to entice ethnic minorities? Libertarians must make ethnic minorities realise that libertarianism can benefit and enhance their own lives. Blacks in the United States view ideologies that advocate greater economic liberties as pandering to “the man”, or in other words, the forces in society that may seek to oppress black people. As stated earlier, African-Americans often experience higher levels of deprivation, poverty and social exclusion than other racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Due to this situation, blacks may often seek government welfare as a solution to their problems.

How welfare and government keeps ethnic minorities down

As libertarians, we naturally wouldn’t condone the provision of welfare for any section of society. Still, the claiming of welfare has negative effects for the American black population. It’s often stated that welfare creates dependency upon the government, since people are relying on the state for their existence and aren’t helping themselves. Such a state amounts to the stagnation of income growth and a drive to increase wealth within the community. Being dependent on welfare creates a self-perpetuating cycle of economic deprivation. If one depends on welfare, they shall lack the means to better their socio-economic situation. This then leads to more experiences of poverty, which then leads to seeking governmental welfare, and so on. It’s self-evident that something must break this cycle of underachievement and dependency. African-Americans must also realise that the state, and not the free market, has been responsible for the oppression of blacks. The free market did not institute Jim Crow laws, nor fail to grant African-Americans equal rights of suffrage to whites. The government is the foe, and not the friend, of the black community.

Black Americans must realise that the free market can be beneficial to their wellbeing and so shatter the cycle that fosters greater deprivation. According to the latest numbers available from the US Commerce Department's Census Bureau, minority–owned businesses have been growing four times faster than the national average. The Department's report, 1997 Survey of Minority–Owned Business Enterprises: Black, drawn from the same data, shows figures for African American–owned businesses by size, type of business, and geographic area, comparing 1997 to 1992 results. During this period, the number of African American–owned businesses, excluding C Corporations, rose by 26 percent, reaching a total of 823,500, while the number of businesses in the US overall grew by only 7 percent in the same time period. In 1997, African American–owned businesses employed 718,300 people and generated $71.2 billion in revenue. And 38 percent of the nation's African–American–owned firms are owned by women, a higher percentage of female owners than any other minority race or ethnic group (from USCensus.gov).

By promoting entreprenuership, African-Americans can help themselves out of poverty by producing business start-ups, which in turn would provide extra employment for others and help generate greater purchasing power and disposable income for minorities. Today, there are some notable examples of African-Americans that have used the free market to their advantage. Ward Connerly is a prominent anti-affirmative action activist from the African-American community. As a vehement opponent to affirmative action, he has successfully risen through the world of business without state-mandated aid. At present, he is a consultant who earns up to $450 per hour for his skills and services.

So, black Americans have little need to align themselves with the Democrats or any of the “big two” US political parties. In order to help themselves, African-Americans can look towards the free market as the means for self-improvement. The Democrats and Republicans would simply place excessive regulations and red tape on businesses, regardless whether they are small or large. It’s only libertarians who would advocate for the business environment that favours all businesses.