OXON HILL, Md. — Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson, known popularly as “Diamond and Silk,” gave an impassioned pro-America, pro-capitalism, and pro-life speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday. Most notably, they attacked the idea of racial reparations for slavery, telling 2020 Democrat Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) that she can’t “buy” their “silence.”
“We have a message for Kamala Harris: You can keep your reparations. You don’t get to buy my silence,” Hardaway declared. “We will never let the Democratic Party forget that they are the party of Jim Crow. They are the party of slavery.”
.@DiamondandSilk have a message for @KamalaHarris: "You can keep your reparations. You don't get to buy my silence. We will never let the Democratic Party forget that they are the party of Jim Crow. They are the party of slavery." @PJMedia_com @CPAC #CPAC2019
— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) February 28, 2019
Hardaway and Richardson emphasized their independence from identity politics, emphatically saying that they can think for themselves.
Turning to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Hardaway denounced socialism as a source of poverty. “What makes America great is through capitalism, how we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps” she declared. “So we can live the American dream and not have to live through an American nightmare.”
.@DiamondandSilk slam socialism: "It drives poverty." "What makes America great is through capitalism, how we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. … So we can live the American dream and not have to live through an American nightmare." @PJMedia_com @CPAC #CPAC2019
— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) February 28, 2019
Hardaway addressed the issues of immigration and abortion in one powerful phrase. “When an illegal immigrant comes through the border illegally, the Left wants to help them. But when a baby comes through the birth canal legally, they want to kill them,” she said, to Richardson’s agreement.
.@DiamondandSilk: "When an illegal immigrant comes through the border illegally, the Left wants to help them. But when a baby comes through the birth canal legally, they want to kill them." Fire! @PJMedia_com @CPAC #CPAC2019
— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) February 28, 2019
The pair praised America as “the greatest country on earth,” and firmly defended the Constitution against Democrat efforts to change it. “We don’t need to rewrite the Constitution. They need to reread the Constitution,” Hardaway said to loud applause.
.@DiamondandSilk have a message to the Democrat Congress: "We don't need to rewrite the Constitution. They need to reread the Constitution." Amen! https://t.co/iYYA7UdoNV @PJMedia_com @CPAC #CPAC2019
— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) February 28, 2019
Turning to the hate hoax involving Empire star Jussie Smollett, Hardaway said, “When they try to use the race card, I want you to stand up and you play the Trump card!”
She mocked the people who believed Smollett, saying, “That’s what happens when you let a Democrat use you like a tool.”
Follow Tyler O’Neil, the author of this article, on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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