Elbert Guillory is a former member of the Louisiana State Senate, who represented District 24, including his native Opelousas, from May 2, 2009, until January 11, 2016, when his full term to which he was elected in 2011 ended. In 2013 Guillory gained national recognition when he switched parties, leaving the Democrats and joining the Republican Party. In becoming the Louisiana Senate’s first Republican of African-American descent since Reconstruction, he identified his former party as "the party of Jim Crow" and celebrated "the party of freedom and progress" represented by the Republicans. Guillory urged fellow African-Americans to join the GOP, a move he said was  "not only right for me, but for all of my brothers and sisters in the black community." Guillory joined the show to discuss current policy initiatives of the Republican Congress, the challenge of bringing a message of empowerment and independence to the new generation of young, determined and ambitious African Americans, and how citizen advocacy and action can lead to a brighter future for all Americans. Elbert Guillory Website Elbert Guillory's America Elbert Guillory Twitter Elbert Guillory Facebook