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First State African American leaders have mixed feelings on race relations under Trump

A Pew Research Center survey of voters after Election Day found that roughly 75% of African Americans expect race relations to worsen under a Trump administration.

President of Delaware’s NAACP chapter Linwood Jackson feels race relations in the First State and across the country improved under the Obama administration.

He’s fearful certain policies – like stop and frisk – could be re-instated under a Trump presidency.

Stop and frisk data collected during a NY-ACLU multi-year analysis indicates African Americans and Latinos are stopped much more frequently than Caucasians.

In 2015, 54 percent of those stopped by police were African American, 29 percent were Latino and only 11 percent were white.
“We’ve come a long way since Martin Luther King marched for peace, and equal rights for all people…and right now I think a lot of people are fearful that we’re going to lose a lot of the gains that were made during those times," Jackson said.

Wilmington Black Lives Matter leader Mahkieb Booker says he thinks race was a roadblock for Obama in some ways.

“Sometimes it takes somebody from the outside looking in from a different race or culture so to speak to really get something moving without there being racism labeled along with it," Booker said.

He’s optimistic that new administrations – both local and national – could lead to more jobs for African Americans.

In addition to the Port of Wilmington, Booker pointed specifically to the construction industry, and Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki’s desire to hire locals.

But Booker said local police have a long way to go in terms of improving race relations.

“You know, I always go back to the Jeremy McDole shooting I guess until the day I die," Booker said. "There was no good relationship with the community.”

While acting Wilmington Police Chief Bobby Cummings has trumpeted the hiring of the most diverse class of officers in the city’s history, Booker said he hasn’t seen that diversity reflected on the streets just yet.
 

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