Saturday, May 29, 2010

Civil Rights Progress

* In 1958, fully 94 percent of respondents to a Gallup Poll opposed interracial marriages.

* In 1959, 53 percent said that the Brown decision “caused more trouble than it was worth.”

* By 1964, 62 percent supported a law to guarantee blacks "the right to be served in any retail store, restaurant, hotel or public accommodation," according to a Harris survey.

* Only one in five said they sided with Alabama authorities when police broke up a protest march in Selma in 1965.

* By 1964, a majority of the U.S. population said they supported the 1964 Civil Rights Act and opposed segregation laws.

* By 2003, 73 percent said they approved of interracial marriage and 90 percent said they would be willing to vote for a Black presidential candidate.

Sharon Smith, Counterpunch

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