Young Americans, across racial groups, do not support the preservation of misinformation, myth-making, and misrepresentation.

-JennMJacksonphd
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On Tuesday, September 29 at the first presidential debate of the 2020 campaign season, President Donald Trump was asked to condemn white supremacist violence at anti-police brutality protests that have been happening all over the country in recent months. He refused. Instead, Trump blamed “antifa and the left” for the violence he has seen. When Democratic nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden mentioned the Proud Boys, a known white supremacist organization, President Trump said the group should “stand back and stand by.”

Many have condemned President Trump’s comments and his disregard of the overt violence these types of groups engage in. But, the fact is: condemnation isn’t enough right now. Especially when it’s clear that young people are against white supremacy and its vestiges.

One of the clearest rejections of white supremacy has been the ongoing protest and removal of Confederate statues across the country. In 2015, activist Bree Newsome climbed a 30-foot flagpole in front of the South Carolina statehouse to remove the Confederate flag. She was promptly arrested. In August 2017, the “Unite the Right” white supremacist rally erupted in the sleepy college town of Charlottesville, Virginia, leaving a 32-year-old anti-racist demonstrator named Heather Heyer dead and many others injured. It’s pertinent to remember Trump referred to this two-day long white supremacist protest against the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue, bad actors “on both sides.” 

In the past six months, since the death of George Floyd in May 2020, it’s estimated that 130 Confederate statues across the country have been removed. Our data support these recent social changes. 

RELATED: It’s a matter of time: Resisting the enshrining of white supremacy in our collective memory

In the August 2020 GenForward Survey which includes 3,115 adults between the ages of 18 and 36 years old, we find that 64% of young Americans across racial groups believe that Confederate statues are symbols of racism rather than Southern pride. Young Americans of color were more likely to share this belief as 77% of Black Americans, 71% of Asian Americans, and 67% of Latinx Americans expressed this idea. A majority of young white Americans (59%) also shared this belief though the percentage is significantly smaller than those of respondents of color.

Young people are not only against the existence of these symbols of American racism, they are also overwhelmingly supportive of their removal. Pluralities of Asian (43%), Latinx (35%), and white (35%) Americans are in “strong support” of the removal of Confederate statues. Black Americans are the only group wherein a majority (55%) of respondents indicate that they “strongly support” the removal of Confederate statues. When including those who “somewhat support” the removal of Confederate statues, a majority of Black (77%), Asian (73%), Latinx (64%), and white (59%) Americans share this response. 

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Like the student activists and local protestors at UNC-Chapel Hill who toppled the 8-foot-tall statue of Confederate soldier “Silent Sam,” young Americans are openly and vocally rebuking white supremacy and it’s symbolism. Yet, these data are not just about the rejection of racist symbols. They are evidence that young Americans, across racial groups, do not support the preservation of misinformation, myth-making, and misrepresentation of this country’s racial history.

In this critical election season, one placed squarely during a global pandemic, major economic crises, and mass grief regarding the health and safety of our country, the commitment to white supremacy, anti-Black racism, and other systems of racial, gender, and sexual oppression are all the more consequential. When reflecting on President Trump’s continued refusal to speak directly against white supremacy in the United States, he’s clearly not in touch with the desires of young people, on this issue and many others. As young people continue to express their concerns both at the ballot box and in the streets, we will see how this lack of touch will shape politics in the years to come.

The GenForward Survey is associated with the University of Chicago. August 2020 responses were collected July 24th, 2020 through August 6th, 2020, among a nationally-representative sample of 3,115 young adults between the ages of 18 and 36. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 2.54%.

Jenn M. Jackson was born and raised in East Oakland, California, a fact which motivates her writing and academic ambitions. She is a scholar, educator, and writer whose writing addresses Black Politics and civil and public life for young Black people with a focus on policing and surveillance. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of Water Cooler Convos, a culture platform for Black millennials. Her writing has been featured in Washington Post, BITCH Magazine, Marie Claire, EBONY, The Root, Daily Dot, The Independent, and many others. Jackson is a doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago studying American Politics with a focus on political participation and engagement, public opinion and social movements. For more about her, tweet her at @JennMJack or visit her website at jennmjackson.com.