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Despite being hit especially hard by the bad economy, job losses and the high rate of foreclosures, African Americans' assessment of race relations and prospects for the future has surged more dramatically during the past two years than at any time in the past quarter-century, according to a new poll.
In a survey of American racial attitudes released Tuesday, researchers reported that the feeling of progress is driven in large part by the election of President Obama, along with a greater sense of local community satisfaction and a more positive outlook. The majority of African Americans say they are better off now than they were five years ago.
"These are dramatic findings," said Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center, which conducted the study. "We expected that there may be an Obama effect, and it was really quite dramatic -- which isn't to say that this era as measured in this survey means that all is fine between blacks and whites."
Large majorities of blacks continue to say that the country needs to make more changes and that the problems rooted in the country's history of slavery and segregation haven't disappeared. But there are many indications that African Americans feel there has been significant advancement.
Thirty-nine percent of blacks -- nearly twice as many as in 2007 -- say that the "situation of black people in this country" is better than it was five years earlier. That view holds among blacks of all age groups and income levels. Similarly, 56 percent of blacks and nearly two-thirds of whites say the standard-of-living gap between whites and blacks has narrowed in the past decade. Still, when asked about the problems facing black families, a majority said there were not enough jobs and there were too many problems with drugs and alcoholism, crime and poor public education.
African Americans are starting a new decade with a brave and uplifted spirit, despite the challenges of our circumstances. President Obama has come under fire recently for not doing enough for the black community. Perhaps one of the best things he can do is be a symbol of hope that inspires African Americans to continue to struggle and positively impact our local communities, as the study suggests. Hopefully, this greater sense of African American optimism will translate soon into concrete economic gains.
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By: Bill Schrier on 1/13/2010 7:32PM
"Obama hasn't done enough for the black community"?
You blacks keep wanting Obama to act like YOUR president, i.e. a black president who does special favors for black people. You must figure he owes you since you voted for him 96%+. But he's supposed to be everyone's president. And so, he's not supposed to do special favors for other blacks.
To point out black hypocrisy, imagine if whites had voted for McCain 96%+ just because he's white. There'd be screams of RACISM everywhere among blacks. What if, further, McCain had been elected and whites were to call on him to do special favors just for whites.
This reminds of how blacks have gotten special treatment for their mythical hero MLK, who has been given his own national holiday, something Congress took away from and would not grant to truly great Americans like Washington, Lincoln, or Jefferson. This was due to massive pressure from blacks and a crush of political correctness. The media and liberal educators have helped hone the MLK myth and scrub the real dirty laundry behind MLK away.
It's time for me to remind you that MLK was a thief, fraud, plagiarist, philanderer and communist-sympathizer all rolled into one ... each of these facts has been well documented. You can start your research with this site, but the facts are easily confirmed:
http://martinlutherking.org/
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By: Bill Schrier on 1/13/2010 8:46PM
Just like MLK, Obama is a fraud, who's only real "accomplishment" is that he is "inspirational" to other blacks. If you have an open mind, read the following, then try to find the answers to the questions raised:
http://www.westernjournalism.com/?page_id=3255
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