Many people are ambivalent—that is, they hold competing views—about the idea of equal opportunity. For instance, they may agree that success in America depends on where you are born, and also agree that if you work hard, you can succeed in America.
To support racially equitable policies and practices, audiences first have to believe that not everyone in the United States has equal opportunity to succeed. Effective messages about racial equity can help audiences resolve this ambivalence by framing the conversation with the idea that opportunity is not equal, and then providing examples of how we can make opportunity real for everyone.