Last Updated on December 27, 2022
The Pennsylvania Republican Party was relentlessly criticized and mocked after posting a tweet commemorating the celebration of Kwanzaa. The holiday was created by a black nationalist college professor as an alternative to Christianity in the 1960’s, though it has failed to gain any widespread traction among the Black community. Twitter user’s flooded the Pennsylvania GOP’s Twitter page to slam the organization as “tone deaf.”
Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by black nationalist Maulana Karenga, an activist and professor who was convicted in 1971 of assaulting a woman. The victim accused Karenga of beating and whipping her because, she said, Karenga thought she was trying to poison him, according to a report at the time by the Los Angeles Times. Karenga ultimately served time in prison as a result of the conviction.
Karenga was also a cofounder of the group “US,” a black nationalist group that emerged as a splinter option to the Black Panthers.
Though Kwanzaa has failed to gain any widespread popularity among the African American population, the Pennsylvania GOP found it prudent to commemorate the black nationalist holiday.
“Happy Kwanzaa,” reads a graphic tweeted by the Pennsylvania Republican Party just hours after Christmas Day had concluded. “We hope you have a blessed Kwanzaa and new year. Have a happy holiday!” reads the caption.
— PA GOP (@PAGOP) December 26, 2022
The tweet was promptly panned by Twitter users who mainly accused the Pennsylvania Republican Party of being out of touch with their voter base.
“’How could any organization choose Dr. Oz to run for Senate? How could any organization lose to Fetterman?’” former Florida Congressional candidate Jim Huff asked rhetorically.
“Here for the quote tweets and ratio,” wrote former U.S. Marine and veteran mental health specialist Tom Sauer. “You guys don’t get it, do you.”
“How could any organization choose Dr. Oz to run for Senate? How could any organization lose to Fetterman?”
Oh.
— Huff (@Huff4Congress) December 27, 2022
here for the quote tweets and the ratio
you guys don’t get it, do you
— Tom Sauer (@thomasbsauer) December 27, 2022
The tweet has garnered just 62 likes against 662 replies in a little over 24 hours, constituting a resounding “ratio,” a term used to describe a tweet so unpopular that it gets more negative feedback than likes or retweets.
