Michael Dawson, a political science professor at the University of Chicago has written a book called “Not in Our Lifetimes: The Future of Black Politics,” and in it says that despite the election of a black man as president of the United States, many black people now worry that they will not experience true equality in their lifetimes. Dawson backs up his claims and assertions with data he’s uncovered via research he and a team from UoC conducted.
Dawson says that for most black Americans, Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath marked a zenith of sorts in opening their eyes to the political realities of modern America. Whereas before the disaster, most had a feeling that there were disconnects in how the government, and in some cases, white people in general viewed them and their place in society; afterwards, after seeing inaction by the government to help those stranded by the flood, even as it was televised live all over the world, many came to see their suspicions as proved correct. Dawson says that his study has found that blacks were 64 percent more likely to believe that the government would have responded faster to the disaster had the victims been white. In addition, another poll conducted by his group found that 79 percent of those blacks polled believed the government should pay for new homes for all the victims of the flood, whereas only 33 percent of whites thought so.
Despite such numbers however, there was an upswing in confidence among black citizens when Barak Obama, the first ever black man to be elected president of the United States, came into office. Unfortunately however, the optimism hasn’t remained. Recent polls by the group have found that pessimism has returned and black people in American now feel no better about the prospects for true equality in their lifetimes than they did before Obama appeared on the scene. This of course can be easily explained Dawson contends, because real life conditions for most black Americans remain unchanged. Blacks make less money than whites, they die sooner, quite often due to crime. They live in some of the most impoverished parts of the country and in many cases feel marginalized when coming into contact with what they view as white society.
The numbers don’t lie, Dawson contends. No matter what poll you look at, black and white people see things differently, and as a result, little to no change is being made in creating a truly equal society for all concerned.