( CNN ) -- It 's February and Black History Month , and networks and major consumer brands are reprising their annual ad campaigns honoring the contributions of African-Americans to the arts , politics , technology and commerce . This year , a new player is sponsoring Black History Month ads : the Republican National Committee . In spots airing on black radio and television stations in select media markets , the RNC praises the contributions of black Republicans such as Louis Sullivan , a former secretary of health and human services under President George H.W . Bush . RNC makes first ad buy for Black History Month . This ad campaign is part of a larger Republican strategy to reach out to minority voters . After President Barack Obama won more than 70 % of the vote among blacks , Latinos and Asian-Americans ( 93 % among blacks alone ) in 2012 , the Republican National Committee redoubled its efforts to court minority voters . This ad campaign is a part of that effort . A well-produced , uplifting ad campaign will not be enough to convince black Democrats to switch their party identification , though . For every ad praising Sen. Tim Scott , the Republican Party has had to put out fires created by state and local officials who make insensitive racial comments . For instance , in the past two weeks , the Iowa Republican Party had to fire the mastermind behind the `` Is Someone a Racist ? '' flow chart on its Facebook page . The flow chart flippantly charged that racists are white people you do n't like . RNC highlights strategy for building 'new generation of black Republicans ' By this point , some Republicans are probably wondering why blacks do n't seem to punish liberals and Democrats for their racial missteps . Democrat-friendly MSNBC has faced strong and valid criticism for its recent taunts of the Romney family 's transracial adoption and its assumptions that conservative Republicans do n't marry interracially . For his part , Fox host Bill O'Reilly raised eyebrows when he asked Obama why he had not done more to lower the out-of-wedlock birth rate among blacks . The answer is rooted in a long , complicated history of race and partisanship and in psychological frames that the GOP ignores at its peril . RNC clarifies tweet that suggests racism is over . Some Republicans rightfully point out that during the civil rights movement , Southern Democrats tried to block passage of the Civil and Voting Rights Acts . They forget , however , that in the past 50 years , white Southern Democrats ( both racists and non-racists ) have gradually shifted their party identification to the Republican Party . They do n't account for the fact that GOP has admitted to ( and apologized for ) purposely using racially coded language to win over racially resentful whites in the wake of the civil rights movement . And they ignore data that confirm that while black political views have moderated in the past generation , blacks still tend to prefer a stronger federal state and greater governmental intervention , in large part because they perceive the federal government to have done a better job than state and local officials at protecting civil rights . The 'white ' student who integrated Ole Miss . Perhaps the biggest impediment to the GOP 's outreach efforts among blacks , though , is its misunderstanding of the importance of group dynamics to individual political decision-making . Republicans value limited government and personal liberty , traits that celebrate rugged individualism and a view of politics that assumes that self-interest informs most policy preferences . Numerous studies have shown that many blacks and Latinos believe that what happens to other blacks and Latinos affects them . This belief that their fates are linked to the fates of their co-ethnics informs liberal policy and political preferences . It means that an affluent black person might be willing to pay higher taxes if it helps maintain the food stamp program , which helps poor , disproportionately minority people . Or that a Latina born in the United States might wince when Republican congressional candidates voice their opposition to immigration reform because she perceives that tone of the opposition evinces a general antipathy toward Latinos regardless of their nativity . Do n't get me wrong , Republican outreach to blacks is a good thing , and I hope to see more of it . Republican candidates who win office need to engage their black and minority constituents , and Democrats should not assume that blacks ( or any other group ) will always vote Democratic . However , a polished ad campaign alone is not enough to win over black voters . If the GOP hopes to become significantly more competitive among blacks , it will have to acknowledge the importance of group identity to blacks and other minorities and learn how to frame their principles in terms of group interests . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Andra Gillespie .
Democratic National Committee The campaign celebrates Black History Month . Andra Gillespie says the effort should be encouraged but falls short . Gillespie : Ads fail to recognize the diversity of the communities .