Black Conservatives Have Made Their Own AIPAC
The National Black Empowerment Council presents itself as a voice for black communities. Its funding, alliances, and political strategy suggest a different mission: expanding pro-Israel conservative influence within black political institutions.
Ja’Ron Smith, formerly the highest-ranking black aide to President Donald Trump, is a key federal lobbyist for the National Black Empowerment Council. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
On June 23, democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated pro-Israel incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat by 4 percentage points in New York’s Thirteenth Congressional District. However, in the process of campaigning, Espaillat’s team leaned into a rather audacious strategy. It weaponized anti-blackness in a historically black area in an attempt to win. Ultimately, Espaillat’s camp failed, but its attempt reveals a broader strategy on the part of the Right to undermine socialist candidates.
The vitriol was partially stoked by the National Black Empowerment Council (NBEC). It is part of a playbook of tactics that the NBEC has used before and will likely use again in the future.
What Is the NBEC?
The nebulously titled National Black Empowerment Council was established by former American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) alumnus Darius Jones in 2021. Jones specifically was the former national African American constituency director at AIPAC; his codirector, Richard St Paul, still serves on the committee’s national council. At the federal level, a key lobbyist of the group is Ja’Ron Smith of conservative lobbying firm CGCN. Smith was formerly the highest-ranking black aide to President Donald Trump.
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