This Skit Captures Lack Of Racial Diversity At RNC

It's not exactly a big secret that African American voters don't comprise a substantial portion of the Republican Party's ranks. Though the Republican National Convention has featured a number of African American speakers, presumably to present itself as racially diverse, the number of black delegates to the convention is actually staggeringly low. On Tuesday, Stephen Colbert and Keegan-Michael Key had a little fun with their "African American Delegate" skit, which riffs on the lack of racial diversity on the RNC convention floor.

After noting that a recent Ohio poll found 0 percent support for Donald Trump among black voters, Colbert checked in "live via satellite" with "Frank Walters," played by Key. Walters, one of the only African Americans at the "convention," described to Colbert the type of treatment he was receiving from the other attendees. "From the moment I got here, everyone has been so nice. They gave me a hat. They gave me a shirt. They're always putting me on camera for some reason. I mean, I've never been so popular in my life!"

Walters also noted that he received several compliments from the convention attendees, including how "articulate" he is, and that he's "one of the good ones." At the end of the skit, Walters explained to Colbert that he was actually just looking for Pokémon at the convention, not serving as a delegate.

The Ohio poll isn't the only sign that African Americans are really not feeling the Republican Party or its nominee. An email sent to The Washington Post from the Republican Party's national director for African-American initiatives reported the demographics of the convention delegates. Only 18 of the 2,472 delegates are black. That's less than 1 percent, and, according to the Post, likely the lowest percentage in history.

The Republican Party wasn't exactly friendly territory for African Americans prior to Trump's rise, with its general neglect of racial issues. But Trump's nomination makes it even more hostile.

Although the candidate generally reserves his racist remarks for Mexicans and Arabs, his supporters harbor more anti-black sentiment than supporters of any other candidate. In a highly disturbing Reuters poll from June, which found a gross rate of racist sentiments across the board, about half of Trump supporters viewed black people as more criminal and violent than white people, and 40 percent viewed them as lazier.

It's no surprise, then, that Frank Walters was only at the convention to play Pokémon Go.

Images: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/YouTube (2)