Pew Research Survey Finds Half Of Americans Don’t Think Black People Will Ever Achieve Equal Rights
The white conservative war on all things related to diversity, equity and inclusion is predicated on at least two falsehoods.
First, the anti-DEI narrative insists that the most dominant and powerful demographics in society — namely, heterosexual, cisgendered, able-bodied white people — are in need of protected class status while actual marginalized groups should never have been protected because, for them, systemic discrimination and disadvantages simply are not real.
Secondly, white conservatives insist that conservatism, on an ideological level, represents America, meaning the majority agrees that diversity initiatives are bad and discriminatory.
Neither is remotely true, and in fact, a recent Pew Research Center survey found that only about half of Americans believe racial equality, specifically for Black people, will ever be a reality in the U.S.
The survey essentially examined Americans’ views on race, policing and Black Lives Matter five years after the murder of George Floyd. What researchers found is that two-thirds of Black adults doubt Black Americans will ever enjoy the same rights and opportunities that white Americans have always had. That part isn’t terribly surprising. What might raise a few MAGA-fied eyebrows is that the number of responding American adults regardless of race, who believe Black people will never be equal to white people in the U.S. stood at about 49%. So, just under half of the respondents have any confidence at all that post-racial America will ever be a reality.
Another completely unsurprising finding of the survey — which white conservatives are sure to cry “fake news” over — is that most adults who responded believe President Donald Trump’s anti-DEI agenda is only making systemic American racism worse.
From The Hill:
Despite the murder of Floyd leading to worldwide protests and proposed legislation demanding police reform, 72 percent of surveyed adults say the increased focus on race and racial inequality did not lead to changes that improved the lives of Black people.
Forty-three percent of adults say the country hasn’t made enough progress on racial equality, a slight decrease from 49 percent in 2020.
But among those who say the country hasn’t gone far enough, many pointed to the actions and rhetoric of President Trump, including his attempts to limit diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
A majority of adults say Trump will make things worse.
Only 28 percent of surveyed adults say Trump will make things better when it comes to issues related to race.
Of course, like virtually all related surveys, these numbers fluctuate once the demographics and party affiliations of the responders are broken down. Black people and Democrats are more likely to be pessimistic about racial equality in America, while Republicans and white people are likely to be optimistic. But considering how many white and perpetually aggrieved Republicans at least pretend to believe without a lick of data-based evidence that white people are currently on the receiving end of systemic racism — while denying the existence of systemic anti-Black discrimination and disparites despite the multitude of data that points toward it — it’s likely the optimism of the 28% is self-serving optimism, not a feeling based on a desire for true equality.
In short, the anti-DEI agenda is a white nationalist scam, and not as many Americans are buying it as the MAGA world would have us believe.
SEE ALSO:
19 States Are Suing The Trump Administration Over Its ‘Illogical’ Anti-DEI Agenda
