Crossposted from Tech Republican

With the election of Michael Steele as the new Chairman of the Republican National Committee, many are hopeful about the future of the Party.  Steele is the first African American to lead the GOP and only the second to Chair a major political party.  On the heels of this historic achievement another historic event is getting ready to take place in the state of Michigan.  An unofficial "Black Slate" is vying for several Vice-Chair positions within the Michigan Republican Party.  Several African American Republicans are seeking the positions of Outreach, Grassroots and Ethic Vice-Chair.

What makes these state contests interesting, aside from the issue of race, is that the candidates are young and very tech savvy.  Akindele Akinyemi, who is running for the Outreach position, is an avid blogger and podcaster in Detroit.  He maintains an outspoken blog called Akindele Unleashed that deals with urban issues.  Troy Rolling, candidate for Grassroots Vice-Chair, officially launched his bid with a polished YouTube video.  The Ethic Vice-Chair candidate, Derek Moss, is also a blogger who has been a regular contributor to the Hip Hop Republican website.

All three candidates have launched websites for their respective candidacies and all are on Facebook, MySpace, Youtube, etc.  If they are successful, this could be the start if a turning point for the Republican Party.  Leveraging technology to make critical inroads into urban areas would be a huge accomplishment for the GOP.  Hopefully these guys, if they are elected, will receive the support they will need to be successful.

You can visit their candidate websites here: