NAACP President Benjamin Jealous says he hopes the organization’s announcement of support for same-sex marriage will inspire resistant African Americans to rethink their opinions on the issue.

During an interview with the Associated Press, Jealous drew comparisons with the struggle of his parents to find acceptance for their interracial marriage in the 1960’s. He also made it very clear that the NAACP’s position focuses on marriage equality “in the eyes of government, not religion.”

According to the Huffington Post, 39 percent of African Americans support same-sex marriage, compared to 49 percent of whites.

From the Huffington Post:

“Much of the opposition stems from churches, which have long been important institutions in the black community.

‘I hope this will be a game-changer,’ Jealous told The Associated Press in an interview. ‘There is a game being played right now to enshrine discrimination into state constitutions across the country, and if we can change that game and help ensure that our country’s more recent tradition of using federal and state constitutions to expand rights continues, we will be very proud of our work.'”

Read more at HuffingtonPost.com

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