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Recognizing racism in George Floyd's death
The first formal statements made by members of the US Congress relating to the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests were coded on whether racism was identified as a cause. We also coded the number of victims of police or racial violence mentioned, and word usage relating to historical and...
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Published in: | Analyses of social issues and public policy 2021-12, Vol.21 (1), p.1184-1201 |
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Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | The first formal statements made by members of the US Congress relating to the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests were coded on whether racism was identified as a cause. We also coded the number of victims of police or racial violence mentioned, and word usage relating to historical and systemic discrimination. We tested the predictive effect of congressperson's race, gender, US geographic region, political party, percentage of the congressperson's jurisdiction that was African American, and state support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Democratic politicians were more likely than Republicans to identify racism as a causal factor, to name more victims of police or racial violence, and to mention systemic discrimination in their statements. Region and constituent demographics also predicted mentions of systemic discrimination, but the model did not predict mentions of historical discrimination. Findings are interpreted in light of the Marley Hypothesis, motivation to identify racism, and consequences of political discourse. |
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ISSN: | 1529-7489 1530-2415 |
DOI: | 10.1111/asap.12282 |