Colin Powell’s mixed legacy in the Black community

Powell, who died Monday of COVID-19 complications, spent 35 years in the Army and rose to political prominence under Republican presidents

As an American leader, Colin Powell’s credentials were impeccable: He was chairman of the Joint Chiefs and secretary of state. But his legacy as the first Black person in those roles is murkier, with some African Americans saying that his voice on their behalf could have been louder.

Powell, who died Monday of COVID-19 complications, spent 35 years in the Army and rose to political prominence under Republican presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. His stature fueled persistent speculation that he would one day run for president as a member of the GOP.

Through it all, Powell never seemed entirely comfortable talking about race, said Kevin Powell, a New York-based writer and rights activist who is not related to Colin Powell.

“I think that’s why a lot of Black folks never saw him as a leader. There was never a sense that Colin Powell was one of us,” said Kevin Powell, who met him in the 1990s, when he was often discussed as a potential presidential candidate.

Colin Powell later became disenchanted with the GOP and endorsed Democrats for president, starting with Barack Obama. Powell also called then-President Donald Trump a national disgrace and said he no longer considered himself a Republican following the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol.

“By the time the Bush years were over, in 2009, he was largely invisible in a lot of things that happened — Trayvon Martin, Ferguson, George Floyd,” said Kevin Powell, who also is Black. “It was clear that the party he was part of was moving right. I don’t recall him ever saying this party has become nothing more than race mongers.”

But Powell’s dignity and composure should not be interpreted as any indication that he failed to understand the struggle of his people, according to Sam Riddle, an Army veteran and Detroit-based political activist.

“He personified a quiet inner strength that we knew he held on the battlefield for America and for Black Americans,” said Riddle, who also hosts a Detroit talk radio show. “The bullhorns we can use can be simply quiet competency, integrity and perseverance.”