Did taking to the streets last year following the murder of George Floyd advance the ball on equality for all Americans? A plurality of Americans say ‘no.’
In fact, according to a new IPSOS poll, only one in three Americans agree that the 2020 racial justice protests had a positive impact on society.
Americans are waking up to the recognition that the social justice movement of the past year has failed to deliver positive change for the country. I would argue that equality and progress were NEVER the intentions, but sowing division and boosting Democratic Party power.
What the numbers say
On the protests:
- Almost three in five (59%) Americans say the country needs to continue making changes to give Black Americans equal rights with white Americans.
- Over half (51%) think that the treatment of Black Americans by police is unchanged, 35% say it got worse, and just 13% think it improved over the last year.
- Less than a quarter (23%) agree with the statement “America is not a racist country.”
On policing:
- Only about a quarter (27%) of Americans support the “defund the police” movement.
- A majority of Americans (57%) support diverting some police budget to community policing and social services.
- A clear majority of Americans (61%) support increasing funding of the police.
- Black Americans are less likely to experience being pulled over by the police (70%) than white Americans (83%), mostly due to lower rates of car ownership, but say they are much more likely to experience escalations with the police
What this means
The Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests sparked by the heinous murder of Floyd moved many Americans of all races to do something. They took to the streets, placed BLM signs in their yards, and even donated to the national BLM organization in hopes of seeing change.
Looking back now, many would probably say nothing much came of all of those efforts. It’s not surprising when we consider two things:
First, BLM and this social justice movement doesn’t believe in equality of opportunity, but equity for the purpose of equal outcomes. Critical race theory is their Bible and they calls for fighting racism with racism.
Second, this social justice movement focused on exploiting divisions and building up Democratic Party politics. BLM and the movement overall hijacked the high-profile slayings of blacks to stir up racial tensions, galvanize minorities and mobilize voters against President Trump. As I wrote earlier this year, BLM pitched their new prominence and voter registration record to push the Biden administration on their demands for cabinet appointments and more. They wanted to be a new political power center, and that’s what they have become, rather than agents for real, positive change.
America has come very far in race relations. There is more to go to achieve equality but government-imposed discrimination is already illegal. We need to empower all people to achieve mobility and fix the problems that government creates from social services to policing.
It’s unfortunate that instead of using a pivotal moment in history to bring Americans together for positive change, BLM and other groups have pushed us apart for pecuniary and political purposes.