Could Black voters swing the election for Trump? Meet a man trying to make that happen.

Meet Orlando Owens . He grew up on 21st and W. Hampton Ave on Milwaukee’s north side.

His parents divorced when he was young. He grew up poor, struggled in high school and in his early college days, but later graduated from Morris Brown College , a historically Black college and university in Atlanta. Given that background, you might peg him to one political party.

On the contrary, he’s a proud Black Republican working to woo young Black and Hispanic residents in Milwaukee to vote for Donald Trump through his grassroots organization Project Move the Needle. He was also a prominent volunteer at the Republican National Convention last week.

I sought out a Black Republican who supported Trump in the hopes of understanding why he believes Trump, who refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 election and is accused of inciting his supporters to engage in violent acts to overturn the results, deserves another opportunity. We spoke at length at the Sherman Perk coffee shop and I later interviewed him on "Black Nouveau" on Milwaukee PBS .

Owens, 50, said to understand his perspective, you have to start with a series of pivotal moments in his life in his 20s.

Neighborhood meeting sparked his shift to Republican Party

The first took place after he graduated from Morris Brown. Upon returning to Milwaukee, he attended a neighborhood meeting where Alderman Marvin Pratt informed constituents that their taxes would increase.

“That didn’t sit well with me because I couldn’t see what we were getting in return. It made me question many things that didn’t add up,” Owens said.

The second occurred while listening to Black talk radio. The late talk show host Eric Von mentioned talk show host Rush Limbaugh on his show. Owens didn’t know who Limbaugh was, so he tuned in to his station but discovered that a local talk show host, Mark Belling, was filling in.

“Belling was sharing his thoughts, and I started to agree with some of his thoughts. I wouldn't have said it like he did, but his message resonated with me," Owens explained.

He started listening to Belling and Limbaugh and found value in their conversations about issues like guns, education, crime and the importance of strong family values.

"Being raised in a church and seeing the principles my grandparents lived by felt like their ideas aligned with my family's beliefs," Owens said. "It was then that I had a moment of realization and thought, I think I am a Republican."

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Owens, married and the father of two, admits he is not your typical Republican. He was raised on 21st and Hampton and was a “C” student until he joined the 220 busing program, which allowed him to attend Wauwatosa West High School.

While at Wauwatosa West, he first observed the disparities between the privileged and the underprivileged. It was a revelatory experience. After graduating, Owens enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and by his sophomore year, he became a dad.

He started working to save money for his family but wanted to return to school. He had some cousins who attended historically Black colleges in the Atlanta area, and after talking with his grandparents, he went for a visit.

He was sold on Atlanta as soon as he set foot on the campus of Morris Brown. Owens majored in business in college and became involved in student government. He graduated with honors.

“Life is about what you put in. There are no shortcuts,” he said.

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After graduating and returning to Milwaukee, he was shocked at how little had changed compared with Atlanta, where Black residents held various leadership roles and the Black middle class was flourishing. Despite being under Democratic leadership, Milwaukee still faced high rates of Black male incarceration, poverty and a low Black homeownership rate.

“I know for a fact that my grandparents, who were renters, had paid for the place we lived in at least twice,” he said.

Project Move the Needle will target frustrated voters

Owens oversees a team of 10 part-time employees focused on engaging disenchanted men under 32 who are registered voters but may not participate in the elections. Their location? The historic Bronzeville district on the corner of King Drive and North Avenue.

Since mid-May, Owens and his team have canvassed Black areas, asking potential voters if their lives have improved during President Joe Biden’s term compared with when Trump was in the Oval Office.

He said if he could get 10,000 people who did not plan to vote to support Trump, Wisconsin could turn red and put Trump back in the White House. After all, Trump lost Wisconsin in 2020 by just more than 20,000 votes.

In recent years, the relationship between Black Americans and the Republican Party has received considerable attention. A report by the Pew Research Center found that in the 2020 presidential election, a higher percentage of Black men voted for Trump compared with Black women .

In the 1920s, Black Americans split their support between the Republican and Democratic parties. However, a shift toward the Democrats began under Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s and was solidified after President Harry Truman issued an executive order in 1948 to desegregate the U.S. military. By the 1960s, during the Civil Rights Movement, Black Americans strongly aligned with the Democratic Party after President John Kennedy intervened to get Martin Luther King Jr. released from jail.

According to the Pew Research Center, 1 in 10 Black adults identify with or lean toward the Republican Party today. Owens said the number is growing.

He said Trump's felony conviction in New York has not significantly affected his support among young Black men. He mentioned that most people he spoke to appreciate Trump's boldness and unfiltered commentary.

"They like him because he tells it like it is, and they respect that," Owens said.

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Project Move the Needle targets districts with a high level of minority frustration. Owens mentioned the recent financial instability and staff turnover at Milwaukee Public Schools , including several school board members, have created an opportunity for those wanting a shake-up in leadership across the political landscape.

I sympathize with the frustration expressed, although I question whether it would compel individuals to support a convicted, some might say even a racist, individual for the presidency. I, too, share frustration. I oppose increased taxation without corresponding service improvements, but I doubt Trump will enact legislation that would lead to significant changes for the city of Milwaukee, especially since he called Milwaukee a “horrible city” just a few weeks ago.

Trump being a convicted felon should not ingratiate him with Black and brown voters, especially since we know that having a felony on record precludes most of those same individuals from voting and locks most of them out of the white-collar, high-wage earning positions.

If a felon can run for the highest position in the country, then having a felony should not prevent anyone from employment, loans or housing.

He was rejected and homeless at 15. Now he leads the LGBTQ group that gave him acceptance.

Give Owens credit for reaching out to neglected, ignored voters

After speaking with Owens at Sherman Perk coffee shop, I realized that he had an excuse for each of Trump's flaws, and he hit on the basic talking points that most Republican supporters talk about. For example:

• Owens, a gun owner, holds the belief that Democrats aim to restrict responsible gun owners from purchasing specific types of firearms and from acquiring multiple guns.
• He said that during Trump’s presidency, there was low Black unemployment , restored funding for historically Black colleges and universities , and the establishment of opportunity zones. However, it must be cited that even with low unemployment rates, Black people still had fewer jobs and lower pay than their white counterparts.
• On incarceration, Owens asked, "Who could better advocate for a felon than a fellow felon?"

Owens' group faces a tough challenge in persuading Black voters to support Trump. Still, they are reaching out to neglected individuals, including poor Black and Hispanic voters, whose needs are ignored by both parties.

This situation serves as a reminder that both parties must work hard to listen to people and address their concerns.

Regardless of political affiliation, they need to work together to improve our lives at both national and local levels. We all suffer if this doesn't happen, regardless of who wins come November.

James E. Causey is an Ideas Lab reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , where this column originally published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Reach James E. Causey at jcausey@jrn.com or follow him on X: @jecausey

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Could Black voters swing the election for Trump? Meet a man trying to make that happen.