Robert Jones: New Cultural War is Preserving ‘White Christian America’

Robert Jones: New Cultural War is Preserving ‘White Christian America’
PRRI data shows that among 69% of Republicans feel that discrimination against white people was just as big an issue in society as discrimination against other racial groups. In a recent interview with The New York Times, PRRI CEO and founder Robert P. Jones describes a new culture war in the Republican Party. According to Jones, the party has moved on from disagreements on same-sex marriage and abortion and is now about preserving a white Christian America. “That’s what Trump’s really leading with,” Jones explains. “The ‘Make America Great Again’ thing — the way that was heard by most white evangelical Protestants, white working-class folks, was saying: ‘I’m going to preserve the composition of the country.’”
U.S. Supreme Court Rules Against Trump Administration Attempt to End DACA Program
In the 2019 American Values Survey, PRRI found that 63% of all Americans believe that immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children should gain legal resident status. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Democrats, 67% of independents and 42% of Republicans support legal resident status. On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump would not be allowed to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that grants legal resident status. The issue reached the Supreme Court three years after President Trump announced plans to end the program. Had it been overturned, 650,000 people would have been impacted. Those with current immigration cases would have been deported.
Coming Soon: ‘White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity’
Following his successful 2017 book, “The End of White Christian America,” PRRI CEO and founder Robert P. Jones returns with “White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity.” Drawing on history, public opinion surveys, and personal experience, “White Too Long” delivers a provocative examination of the unholy relationship between American Christianity and white supremacy and issues an urgent call for white Christians to reckon with this legacy for the sake of themselves and the nation. Pre-order the book here.
NPR Host Questions Why White American Are Now More Supportive of Racial Equality
Nearly three-quarters of working Americans (74%) say their interactions with people of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds frequently occur at work. Given the infrequency of these interactions and the current spike in support among white people for racial equality, Gene Demby of NPR asks ‘why now, white people?’ Demby recaps conversations he recently had in which he asked that very question to followers on Instagram. Some blamed President Donald Trump, others were sparked by the support of friends. “Others said the shock of his election sparked their personal political awakenings, after which they attended Women’s Marches and became more active in their communities and online,” Demby writes.
Ahead of Juneteenth, Black Americans Still Struggle for Equality
Friday, June 19, 2020, will be the 155th anniversary of the end of slavery in the United States. As Juneteenth approaches, Nicquel Terry Ellis of USA Today profiles the modern struggle for equality among Black Americans. Among the issues facing this community is prolonged voter suppression. Ellis notes PRRI data that shows how disproportionately impacted this issue impacts the community. “Black and Latino citizens were more likely than white people to face barriers to voting,” Ellis writes. “Some of the biggest barriers reported were voters who had trouble finding their polling place or were told they lacked the proper identification.” PRRI data from 2018 shows that six in ten Hispanic (60%) and Black (62%) Americans, compared to only 27% of white Americans, expressed concerns about eligible voters being denied the right to vote.