On Saturday, writing for the conservative blog Red State, Black commentator Kira Davis laid into right-wing activist Candace Owens.
"I have tried to forge my own path in this business and respect the voices of other black commentators even when they diverge from my own opinions," wrote Davis. "Sadly, I’ve not been allowed to follow this path. The public and what my colleague Jeff Charles calls 'Conservative, Inc.' have made it nearly impossible for me to ignore certain pundits who make my job harder every day. I can no longer stay silent, even in the face of the slings and arrows I know I’ll get for expressing myself here. Candace Owens is a problem."
"What is problematic for me and others like me is that white conservatives (and some black conservatives) have gleefully thrust Owens into the position of not only speaking for all black conservatives, but for the black community in general," wrote Davis.
"I hear so many white conservatives describe her as 'articulate' and it makes me cringe," she continued. "I find it reminiscent of how white liberals condescendingly fawned all over Obama as 'articulate'."
Owens has come under fire for a number of recent controversies, including her suggestion that Hitler's motive was to "make Germany great," her rant attacking the idea that the Ahmaud Arbery shooting had anything to do with his race, and her remark that she was "sickened" by the fact that George Floyd is being held up as a "martyr" — the latter of which was retweeted by President Donald Trump.
"The trouble with Candace is that her first instinct is not to empower black people, but to indict us," wrote Davis. "I believe that racism and bigotry still exist, and that they will probably always exist in a fallen world. But I also believe that America is never finished striving to be better, greater, stronger. That is what makes us the best country on earth. That is why I never have a problem standing up for the black community while at the same time espousing my conservative beliefs."
Owens, she concluded, is "incapable of doing the same."
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