A new poll reveals that the majority of Americans are resistant to renaming U.S. military bases that carry the names of Confederate leaders, while two-thirds of Black Americans are in favor.
The ABC/IPSOS poll also reveal that this same group is also opposed to providing reparations to the descendants of slaves. Black Americans (72%) are also more than five times as likely to back reparations than Whites (14%) and over twice as likely than Hispanics (34%). The idea for reparations has grown dramatically among Blacks over the past twenty years, but has remained about the same for other racial groups.
Ft. Bragg Military Base
On the issue of renaming military bases that bear the name of Confederate leaders, divisions registered strictly across political lines. Nearly 71% of Democrats support changing the names of bases compared to only 13% of Republicans and 40% of independents.
The poll was released last week, as a coalition of some 50 progressive groups pushed presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden to adapt a more progressive approach issues that impact the Black community.
“You cannot win the election with the enthusiastic support of Black voters, and how you act in this moment of crisis will play a big role in determining how Black voters—and all voters concerned with racial justice—respond to your candidacy,” the letter to Biden from the organization read.
President Trump has said that his administration “will not even consider” renaming military bases originally name after Confederate leaders even after the Army issued a statement saying that top military leaders were “open” to the discussion.
