DETROIT — Michiganders earned five spots on the Republican National Convention stage this week in Milwaukee.
One of them is Pastor Lorenzo Sewell, who, to the outside observer, would be the winner in a game of “Which one of these speakers does not belong?”
The other four are exactly who you’d expect at a Republican convention: There’s Rep. John James, who’s running for re-election. Then there’s former Rep. Mike Rogers, now running for Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s soon-to-be vacant seat. There’s would-be politician Perry Johnson, who has spent millions on Republican politics but is yet to see his name on a ballot. And there’s Benjamin Joseph, a Macomb County business owner.
The odd man out is the 43-year-old black pastor from Detroit’s east side.
Sewell isn’t the typical Republican voter, much less RNC speaker — yet he’s got a prime speaking slot at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Thursday, the final night of convention festivities.
“The city of Detroit has been on an epic decline for 60 years,” Sewell told The Post ahead of his speech. “Throw in Flint, Saginaw, Pontiac. Forget the identity politics, forget the virtue signaling. At the end of the day, if you are a black American in those cities, your kids can’t read, they can’t write, they can’t do math.”
Sewell says he will use the speech to “talk about how the Democrats have taken us for granted and talk about how the Republican Party is going to put us in a position where we can make black America great again.”
Sewell drew national headlines last month for hosting Trump at his 180Church in Detroit.
“President Obama never came to the ’hood, so-to-speak, right? President Joe Biden, he went to the big NAACP dinner, but he never came to the ’hood. So thank you,” Sewell said at the time.
Sewell snagged the RNC speaking opportunity, he says, by asking for it.
After hosting Trump at his church, Sewell got blowback from the black community. Some people, including his friends, asked how he could do such a thing. One day, a friend Sewell plays basketball with challenged him: If the Republicans aren’t exploiting you, they’ll have you come to Milwaukee, site of the convention.
Challenge accepted. Sewell made the call, asking Trump’s team for an opportunity. Suffice to say he got one, and tonight he’ll be on stage to make an impact.
Sewell’s speech will help wrap up a convention full of overtures to black voters. On opening night we heard from Michigan black Rep. John James and biracial rapper Amber Rose.
Some Republicans, such as The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh, met Rose’s speech with outrage, questioning the political value of giving her a platform.
Walsh tweeted: “The RNC gives a primetime speaking slot to a pro-abortion feminist and self-proclaimed slut with a face tattoo whose only claim to fame is having sex with rappers. Truly an embarrassment. Not a single voter will be mobilized by this person.”
Democratic pundit Van Jones had a different take on CNN that night.
“That was probably the most dangerous speech for the Democratic coalition,” Jones said. “That is a young woman of color. She is describing the experience that a lot of people have — feeling that maybe, if you’re around too many liberals, you might get criticized too much or you might not be able to speak your mind, and she spoke to it really well.”
He added: “To the extent that these guys are trying to bust up our coalition, that was a bunker buster right there.”
In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden, won 92% of the black vote. Republicans believe they can win black votes at rates not seen since before the civil-rights movement.
Sewell, for his part, saw no problem with Republicans having Rose speak.
“Prophet Elijah, he was fed by a dirty bird,” Sewell said, referring to a story from 1 Kings. “Do you think when that raven came to him and fed him, do you think he cared that it was a dirty bird? Only thing he cared about was, he needed sustenance for his soul. So it is with the Republican Party. They need someone like Amber Rose.”