RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Crafting Democratic Futures: Understanding Political Conditions and Racialized Attitudes Toward Black Reparations
JF RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
FD Russell Sage Foundation
SP 49
OP 67
DO 10.7758/RSF.2024.10.3.03
VO 10
IS 3
A1 Hudgins, Kamri
A1 Benson, Erykah
A1 Carr, Sydney
A1 Simington, Jasmine
A1 Walker, Zoe
A1 Cruz, Jessica
A1 Hutchings, Vincent
A1 Lewis, Earl
A1 Ostfeld, Mara Cecilia
A1 Young, Alford
YR 2024
UL http://www.rsfjournal.org/content/10/3/49.abstract
AB As a growing number of states and municipalities consider reparative policies for Black Americans, it is important to understand what shapes support for and opposition to these policies. We explore the role that awareness of racial inequality plays in shaping attitudes. Drawing on data from a large, representative survey in Detroit and one national survey, we find that awareness of racial inequality plays a powerful role in the likelihood of supporting reparative policies. Yet, in follow-up surveys, we find that exposing respondents to information on the rationale for and importance of reparations does not shift public support. These findings suggest that it is the awareness of racial inequality that is cultivated over time that appears to be the dominant force in building support for reparations. These findings are particularly important during a time when many school districts are severely restricting access to information about the history of Black Americans.