2002: The last black Republican, J.C. Watts.
At the September 1, 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota later this year, the GOP plans to mark the 6-year anniversary of having zero black Republicans by hanging J.C. Watt's jersey from the rafters. Watt's retired in 2002 as the last black Republican.
Watts was selected in 1997 to deliver the Republican response to President Bill Clinton's State of the Union Address. During the speech, Watts chastised some black Democrats and civil rights leaders as "race-hustling poverty pimps", whose careers he said depend on keeping blacks dependent on the government.
Since Watt's retirement as the last black Republican in 2002, he's recently stated, "Not only aren't there any black race-hustling poverty pimps in our party, but there aren't any blacks in our party!"
Part of the reason the Republicans are retiring Watt's jersey at the RNC convention, is because their "rent-a-black-guy" that usually goes to all their conventions fell ill this year, and they need at least one black guy there, to show from different camera angles and sit in the front, to make it appear that there are numerous black people at the RNC convention. In an interview, John McCain said, "Do me a favor, and please don't tell Slick Watts that!" Reporter: "Slick Watts was a basketball player for the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1970's, this is JC Watts."
