Mentor/s
Professor Colleen Butler-Sweet
Participation Type
Poster
Abstract
Attitudes towards the Black Lives Matter movement have proven to be divisive since its inception in response to the Trayvon Martin verdict in 2012. This research attempts to explore what factors shape public opinion of #BlackLivesMatter. Specifically, how do White racial attitudes impact perceptions of this 21st century Black liberation movements. Based on survey sampling of 150 white university students [Sacred Heart University, and other colleges including Harvard University, Ithaca University, Curry College, University of Wisconsin in Madison, and Columbia] findings indicate that white racial awareness as measured by Colorblindness and Aggrieved Whiteness significantly impact perceptions of the Black Lives Matter movement. Categorical variables including political affiliation and presidential preference also played an important role in predicting favorable or unfavorable views towards the Black Lives Matter movement.
College and Major available
Sociology
Location
University Commons
Start Day/Time
4-21-2017 1:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-21-2017 3:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
White Perceptions of Racial Inequality and Attitudes towards Black Lives Matter movement
University Commons
Attitudes towards the Black Lives Matter movement have proven to be divisive since its inception in response to the Trayvon Martin verdict in 2012. This research attempts to explore what factors shape public opinion of #BlackLivesMatter. Specifically, how do White racial attitudes impact perceptions of this 21st century Black liberation movements. Based on survey sampling of 150 white university students [Sacred Heart University, and other colleges including Harvard University, Ithaca University, Curry College, University of Wisconsin in Madison, and Columbia] findings indicate that white racial awareness as measured by Colorblindness and Aggrieved Whiteness significantly impact perceptions of the Black Lives Matter movement. Categorical variables including political affiliation and presidential preference also played an important role in predicting favorable or unfavorable views towards the Black Lives Matter movement.
Students' Information
Jackson, a senior majoring in Sociology, received the Best Poster award for his presentation at the Eastern Sociological Society’s Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA. His senior thesis and poster was on White Perceptions of Racial Inequality and Attitudes towards Black Lives Matter Movement. The poster session was comprised of 40+ students from colleges around the country including competition from other prestigious institutions such as Columbia, Yale, Boston College, and Harvard. During the 90 minute poster session, Sean discussed his study with a number of students and professors at the conference. Sean received a certificate and recognition at the ESS award dinner the following day.