The Myths and Realities of White Racism

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This week, an poll representing a small sample size of Americans has generated conversation across the media landscape. NPR, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health surveyed just over 3,400 hundred adults of all backgrounds. Of those, 902 were white, and 55 percent of that group of white Americans reported feeling discriminated against.  

"No I do not agree," a Takeaway listener named Sarah, from Gainesville, Florida, called in to tell us. "I recognize the privileges that I have being white."  

But the poll found that these Americans do agree that white people are discriminated against, and we also wanted to hear from them.

One of the listeners who responded was Jonathan, age 32, from Beaverton, Oregon. He agrees that white people are discriminated against, something that he first picked up at a rally in Portland.

Dr. R. L’Heureaux Lewis-McCoy an associate professor of sociology and black studies at the City College of New York and author of the book “Inequality in the Promised Land,” says the feelings of these white Americans shouldn't be dismissed, especially since the broader implications of these findings could impact policy and reverse anti-discrimination regulations that have been in place for decades.

This segment is hosted by Tanzina Vega.