The College Fix

The 2016 presidential contender and Republican Senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul, had words for those who raked him over the coals for his speech at the historically black Howard University last week.

While he made some verbal fumbles, at least he was doing something to help the Republican Party connect with and show respect for black students, Paul said at a breakfast with reporters Wednesday.

“There’s a perception that Republicans don’t like people of color. They don’t like black people, brown people or people of different colored skin. It’s not true, but that’s the perception we have to overcome. And the only way to overcome that is by showing up and saying over and over again it is not true,” Paul said, according to a report on his comments by CNN’s Ashley Killough.

“It wasn’t an easy audience, but it was the beginning of a conversation,” Paul said.

(Paul) was criticized for asking the audience if they were aware the founders of the NAACP were Republicans. They audience loudly responded “yes.” Paul said Wednesday he was unfairly mocked for being presumptuous and argued the public at large probably doesn’t know that part of history, which is why he was asking last week.

“In retrospect it sounds like it is a dumb question, but Republicans haven’t been going to Howard for 20 years, and by going there, I did learn something-I learned that everyone there knows,” he said. Paul said he’ll continue to make such outreach visits and pointed to his visit to the historically black Simmons College last week in Kentucky.

“I’ll keep trying. I don’t give up easily,” he said. “I’ll keep trying.”

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