The right has a strategy to turn us away from racial justice. They claim that racial justice means blinding ourselves to race. They attack programs that right the wrongs of racism or help people of color by calling those very programs racist. Sometimes they pretend that they are not talking about race when they are. Sometimes they  use stereotypical images of people of color to suggest that we shouldn’t support policies, implying that “these” people would benefit, without coming out and saying that. The right has been effective in keeping those who want reforms  on the defensive, constantly in the position of justifying existing policies rather than advancing new ones that would further our goals. The conservative movement has delayed and rolled back our progress toward an fair and just society under the mantle of a “colorblind” American ideal.

We must develop the tools to counter these kinds of explicit and symbolic messages and win support for policies that overcome structural barriers to opportunity for people of color. CSI tests and develops communications tools that enable us all to talk more productively about racial justice. We are conducting a series of empirical tests using “framebreaking” strategies that show the potential to increase public support for race-conscious policies. We work with allies to help them understand the results of these tests, and apply them in practice. And we monitor the tactics used by opponents of racial justice