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A solid majority of blacks report that where they have had contact with individual whites on a regular basis—as opposed to less personal dealings—they have found the relationship "pleasant and easy." Sixty-eight percent report contact with whites as employers or supervisors at work, and 66% of them report a satisfactory relationship; 59% work with whites on the job, and 69% of them say they have a "pleasant and easy relationship"; 47% know a white who is an owner or manager of a retail store, and a high 77% of them report no troubles at all; 39% have a white friend, and 88% of those who do say that the relationship works out well.
The problem, according to the blacks, is not that they cannot get along with whites, or that integration cannot be made to work on a day-in, day-out basis. Rather, most blacks are saying that the problem is with white society in general, the segregated, discriminatory structure that seems unwilling to bend or change to accommodate black equality. They sense a growing intractability in white society and are well aware of the white backlash.
Where they come out is perhaps best expressed in the response to the question of whether blacks should continue to pressure the Federal Government, or should ease up because that course might lead to more white resistance. The answer was overwhelmingly one-sided. By 77% to 14%, blacks answered: Keep up the pressure. Reason: only militancy, black pride and black unity will compensate for decreasing white support, most believe. They mean to achieve education, economic power and political office.