Non-Latinx Black adults constitute the highest population to share this view.
As it relates to civil rights, although the polling indicates that while the majority of white Americans believe that civil rights for Black people have improved during their lifetimes, that figure is lower than it has been in the past.
However, as a longer view of the public opinion regarding civil rights by Cornell University’s Roper Center points out, over time, the gap between Black and white sentiment regarding civil rights has been steadily narrowing. This has been driven in large part by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, largely considered the most transformative piece of legislation for the lives of Americans, in particular, Black Americans, over the last half-century.
According to Dibinga, it was a “landmark decision” which “really set the standard for any fight for equality in the United States.”
He continued, further contextualizing the legislation, “For Black people, it was the belief that, within this real time, within this real period, we can actually start having access to making America, as Dr. King said, as good as its promise for everybody. To actually put this down on paper, the immediate effect for Black people was: it was very powerful, and it meant so much to the community.”
He concluded, “All of the amendments that Black people have fought for in this country, they never only benefited Black people. Any type of discrimination suit that has been used against Black people that was challenged with the Civil Rights Act has been used by other groups. Every time we fought for rights in this country, we’ve made rights more expansive for other people. I think that’s one of the greatest legacies of the Civil Rights Act because when you look at it, you’re saying that this country belongs to everybody. And if it’s going to belong to everybody, everybody should have equal protection.”
RELATED CONTENT: Blame DEI: Poll Reveals Less Americans Believe In Racial Discrimination Against Black People
Source: Black Enterprise
