Most Black Americans believe US racism will get worse in future: Poll

Most Black Americans believe the US economic system is stacked against them and the problem of racism will get worse during their lifetime, according to a new poll.

A Washington Post-Ipsos poll released Friday showed that 51 percent of Black respondents said they expect racism will get worse, while 37 percent said they expect it will stay about the same. Only 11 percent said it will get better.

The poll finds that Black adults worry they are marginalized and under threat by acts of hate and discrimination in their day-to-day lives. Most also say it is more dangerous to be a Black teenager now than when they were teens.

When it comes to the nation more broadly, however, Black Americans are uneasy over the nation’s political and cultural environment and believe most White Americans don’t trust them.

Interviews with respondents show a variety of factors fueling these concerns about the future — a rise in hate groups, gun violence, and new laws in Florida and other states regulating the teaching of Black history and racism.

“Yeah, you can get jobs and you can work up to a certain standard of living,” said Renay Roberts, 40, who settled in Atlanta about two decades ago from Jamaica and works in the health-care industry. “But it’s fear. It’s the constant fear … And it’s all about race. ”

Roberts mentioned specifically the Republican-led backlash to movies and books with Black characters as well as her belief that growing numbers of mass shootings are motivated by racial bias. She said she also fears her two teenage sons could be harmed by police or become victims of gun violence.

“I fear for them every day,” Roberts said. “I tell them, ‘Don’t cover your head with a hood, and try to get home before dark.’ Why is it more different for us than any other race?”

In the Post-Ipsos poll, 69 percent of Black Americans say it is a “more dangerous” time today to be a Black teenager than when they were the same age. Just 4 percent say it is a less dangerous time while 25 percent describe the environment for teenagers as being “about the same.”

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