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Months of Focus Groups Show Black Voters Fear Violence Inspired by Racist Rhetoric and Want Democrats to Act Against Racism

“…It’s like, am I going to come across somebody that wants to mistreat me? And I’m just trying to go get groceries”

Washington, D.C. | May 19th – HIT Strategies focus groups, going back several months, show Black voters fearful of racist attacks in their communities. While some spoke on their fear of white supremacy-fueled terror attacks, others commented on the normalization of racist rhetoric inspired by conservative leaders and Republican politicians.  

  • “If one person’s spreading negativity on social media, especially if they’re racist, it’s going to trigger down and for them to go attack innocent people”- Black Man, Surge Voter, May 2022 
  • “Some days, I don’t even want to leave the house. It’s like, am I going to come across somebody that wants to mistreat me? And I’m just trying to go get groceries; things like that run through my head all the time.”- Black Woman, Surge Voter, July 2021 
  • “But underneath the insurrection, which was the actual event, it was really just white backlash. This was the same as the burning of Tulsa. This was the same as all the things.”- Black Man, Surge Voter, April 2022 
  • “I think with Trump coming in and leaving, it woke up a lot of things that were buried, like racism, it’s still alive.”- Black Woman, Base Voter, January 2022 

In HIT Strategies’ latest survey of Black Americans (BlackTrack), “Reducing Racism and Discrimination” is the number two issue for Black voters, behind only inflation and previously COVID-19. Reducing racism consistently ranks among the top three priorities. Black voters say their elected leaders should address it.  

“Saturday’s shooting represented racism in its most violent and craven form,” said Terrance Woodbury, founding partner at HIT Strategies. “However, Black voters have long recognized how the culture-war politics and its racist rhetoric fuels animus toward Black Americans. Black voters want their elected leaders to respond to racism head-on, not just in reaction to tragedies. This is a political and moral imperative.” 

About HIT Strategies   
As Washington’s leading millennial and minority-owned public opinion research company, HIT Strategies helps progressive leaders and organizationstranslate the values and attitudes of target audiences into real-time insights. We understand America’s fastest-growing electorate and consumer groups and specialize in targeting communities under-represented in public opinion, including Black Americans, Latino Americans, Millennials + Genz, LGBTQ+, Women, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders. Visit hitstrat.com and follow @HITStrat on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information.  

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