This evening President Obama will deliver his sixth State of the Union address. A Gallup poll shows a stark racial divide in Americans’ views on the current state of the country.
Overall, Americans are as likely to be positive (39%) about the current state of the country as they are to be negative (40%). However, the gap between whites' and nonwhites' views of where the country stands is wider than at any point in recent history, with nonwhites now almost twice as likely as whites to view the nation's situation positively.
Black Americans’ optimism begs the question: Why?
