One year after the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, the conversation around race relations in the United States is still happening on a daily basis. Racism and the institutional structures built in the United States were shown to be interconnected deeply and more powerfully than many could possibly imagine.
But not every American is on the same page about this issue, specifically not White Republicans, who in a recent poll conducted by Axios-Ipsos, were shown to believe things were equal in the USA for Black people by a large margin.
NEW: @IpsosNewsPolls The vast gap between the left and right in the majority U.S. racial group belies the idea of compromise \u2014 and shows why Congress has been so slow to act.https://www.axios.com/racism-poll-one-year-anniversary-george-floyd-3696fc9c-a90e-4082-af53-df32564f9054.html?utm_campaign=organic&utm_medium=socialshare&utm_source=twitter\u00a0\u2026— Margaret Talev (@Margaret Talev) 1621860570
Jaw dropping new poll. Axios/Ipsos: 79% of white Republicans say the country has done enough to ensure equality for Black Americans. Only 12% of white Democrats say the same.— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1621947295
That disconnect leads directly to legislation seeking to silence learning about or discussions of racism.
Conservative activists are pressing for less talk about racism and more talk about patriotism in schools.https://www.axios.com/gop-seek-to-ban-critical-race-theory-schools-8823c46a-0a88-46f1-ba5b-50e3056f5042.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=politics-criticalracetheory\u00a0\u2026— Axios (@Axios) 1622035099
Why it matters: A year after George Floyd's killing, how systemic racism is \u2014 or is not \u2014 taught in public schools has become a new fault line in the culture wars, with implications for how the next generation of Americans understands U.S. history.https://www.axios.com/gop-seek-to-ban-critical-race-theory-schools-8823c46a-0a88-46f1-ba5b-50e3056f5042.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&stream=top\u00a0\u2026— Sam Baker (@Sam Baker) 1622036001
A PAC that launched Monday will raise funds to support school board candidates who oppose public schools teaching critical race theory and the 1619 Project, which details the history of slavery, Axios has learned.https://www.axios.com/pac-critical-race-theory-school-board-election-2f41f62f-7161-47f0-9a70-5472a69c7ab6.html?utm_campaign=organic&utm_medium=socialshare&utm_source=twitter\u00a0\u2026— Stef Kight (@Stef Kight) 1621904168
I will say clearly that 79% of white GQP\u201ds are out of touch,blind, & dumb ass shit.. I\u2019ll agree with what the guy on cnn said your situation as a black person depends on where u live..I\u2019m from Memphis Tennessee I can\u2019t imagine me living there now. It wouldn\u2019t work.https://twitter.com/MikeSington/status/1397174337946325007\u00a0\u2026— bigslt (@bigslt) 1621948298
And in an unrelated poll, 79% of white Republicans have self-identified as being direct descendants of slave-owners.— Dox\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde665\ud83d\udd31 (@Dox\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde665\ud83d\udd31) 1621947569
That\u2019s like asking the lion if he feels the Gazelles are receiving fair treatment— Sharon The Pirate Queen \u262e\ud83d\udc9c \ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f (@Sharon The Pirate Queen \u262e\ud83d\udc9c \ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f) 1621947731
The effects of drinking the Trump kool-aid will last for years unfortunately— Patrick Donovan \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 (@Patrick Donovan \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6) 1621959090
The overall results saw that a majority of Americans, around 59%, say the country needs to continue making changes, but this broke down alarmingly between Democrats and Republicans: only 21% of White Republicans said the country would need to continue making changes, whereas 88% of White Democrats said the same.
Respondents to the Axios/Ipsos poll were also asked if they agreed or disagreed with the statement "America is not a racist country."
White Republicans were 12 times more likely than White Democrats to agree.
Tim Scott: America is not a racist country\n\nTim Scott\u2019s state: We will observe #ConfederateMemorialDay and close government offices and buildingspic.twitter.com/qDHHrsaR5a— AsherWhites (@AsherWhites) 1620652519
Deion Sanders: HBCU players were \u2018neglected and rejected' in draft.\n\nWho said, \u201cAmerica is not a racist country?\u201d https://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/deion_sanders_hbcu_players_were_neglected_and_rejected_in_nfl_draft/s1_13132_34819052\u00a0\u2026— Philander Wicks (@Philander Wicks) 1620251071
Meet Michael Stern from Michigan. He\u2019s defending a Black Senator, @SenatorTimScott, saying \u201cAmerica is not a racist country\u201d by calling me, a Black preacher, a n*gger.\n\nWay to prove your guy is wrong Mikey. This recording goes to your employer next.\n\nLet\u2019s see how that works out.pic.twitter.com/w7QsIbkzUJ— Bishop Talbert Swan (@Bishop Talbert Swan) 1620878855
"America is not a racist country" they said.\n\n"Stop living in the past" they said. \n\nLook at some of the years.... I was alive.https://twitter.com/armanwalker/status/1395919103567613952\u00a0\u2026— Jaybefaunt\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Jaybefaunt\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1621888214
America is not a racist country tho says the republicans and the democratshttps://twitter.com/DabSquad_Slank/status/1390079003646701571\u00a0\u2026— Fight Me IRL (@Fight Me IRL) 1620257520
The same poll showed violence against Black Americans by the police had actually escalated in the past year.
Seven out of 10 Black respondents said they've been pulled over by the police; 14% of Black respondents and 9% of Hispanic respondents said a police officer has taken a gun or taser out of its holster, compared to 4% of white respondents.https://www.axios.com/axios-ipsos-poll-black-americans-police-dd91c883-1b3b-4eba-87e2-726357d108d7.html?utm_campaign=organic&utm_medium=socialshare&utm_source=twitter\u00a0\u2026— Shannon Watts (@Shannon Watts) 1621777153
We saw a year of police riots, and the cops are also taking out their anger at the public trying to hold them accountable in their everyday interactions. \n\n\u201cAxios-Ipsos poll: Black Americans' police experiences are getting worse\u201dhttps://www.axios.com/axios-ipsos-poll-black-americans-police-dd91c883-1b3b-4eba-87e2-726357d108d7.html?utm_campaign=organic&utm_medium=socialshare&utm_source=twitter\u00a0\u2026— Joshua Holland (@Joshua Holland) 1621776962
Percent saying that calling the police often does more harm than good:\n\nWhite: 25%\nAsian: 25%\nHispanic: 40%\nBlack: 55%https://www.axios.com/axios-ipsos-poll-black-americans-police-dd91c883-1b3b-4eba-87e2-726357d108d7.html\u00a0\u2026— Samuel Sinyangwe (@Samuel Sinyangwe) 1621701989
Black Americans say police treatment has gotten worse in the past year, and about the same percentage believes police shootings of young people of color have become worse, according to a new Axios-Ipsos pollhttps://www.axios.com/axios-ipsos-poll-black-americans-police-dd91c883-1b3b-4eba-87e2-726357d108d7.html\u00a0\u2026— Jon Cooper \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Jon Cooper \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1621724823
These are not surprising results. Axios-Ipsos poll: \u201cBlack Americans' police experiences are getting worse\u201d Exposure to traumatic incidents surely contributing. But dig into the traffic stop experience and you will see where seeds of distrust are sown.https://www.axios.com/axios-ipsos-poll-black-americans-police-dd91c883-1b3b-4eba-87e2-726357d108d7.html\u00a0\u2026— Walter Katz (@Walter Katz) 1621686217
One thing these polls make clear is there is a great disparity in the realities of White people and people of color in the United States, which alone is a sign the country has not done enough to ensure equal rights and treatment of its racial and ethnic groups.
HARD TRUTHS DEEP DIVE \u2014 Systemic racism in the criminal justice system\n\nThe U.S. criminal justice system is cyclical and leaves a lasting imprint on people\u2019s lives. Every step of the way, people of color suffer most.\nhttps://www.axios.com/hard-truths-deep-dive-criminal-justice-8859cc12-dcd6-4134-94c6-0c2a5e881ae3.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=politics-hardtruths\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/rMTGprXcqM— Axios (@Axios) 1621782808
One year after the incident that lit a movement on fire, the work only becomes more difficult and more clear.
Hopefully the United States, despite its setbacks, can rise to the occasion.
