Devolution and Black State Legislators
Devolution and Black State Legislators

Author: Tyson King-Meadows

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2012-02-01

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0791481921

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Devolution and Black State Legislators examines whether black state legislators can produce qualitative gains in the substantive representation of black interests. Once a battle cry by southern conservatives, "new federalism" has shifted power from Washington to the respective state governments and, ironically, has done so as black state legislators grow in number. Tyson King-Meadows and Thomas F. Schaller look at the debates surrounding black political incorporation, the tradeoffs between substantive and descriptive representation, racial redistricting, and the impact of black legislators on state budgetary politics. They situate contemporary constraints on black state elites as the union of macro- and micro-level forces, which allows for a reconsideration of how the idiosyncrasies of political, economic, and geographic culture converge with the internal dynamics of state legislative processes to produce particular environments. Interviews with black legislators provide valuable insights into how such idiosyncrasies may deprive institutional advancement—committee assignments, chairmanships, and party leadership positions—of the influence it once afforded.

African American Legislators in the American States
African American Legislators in the American States

Author: Kerry Lee Haynie

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 165

ISBN-13: 0231106459

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Has black inclusion in the political process changed political institutions and led to more black influence in the governmental process? How do African American legislators balance racial interests with broader issues of government? And how is their effectiveness subjectively perceived and objectively evaluated? In one of the first book-length studies to analyze the behavior of African American state legislators in multiple legislative sessions across five states, Kerry Haynie has compiled a wealth of valuable data that reveals the dynamics and effectiveness of black participation in the legislative process. Owing to the increasing role of state government in administering what he defines as key "black issues"-- education, healthcare, poverty/social welfare, civil rights, and children's issues--Haynie focuses on bills introduced in these categories in Arkansas, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, and North Carolina. The book reveals how responsive political institutions have been to the nation's largest minority group. It explores the question of how legislators deal with the "duality dilemma"--which requires them to be both responsible legislators and race representatives--and whether agendas should be "deracialized" in order to appeal to a broader constituency. Along with numerous statistical charts illustrating everything from representation on house standing committees to a ranking of the fifteen legislative sessions by quartiles of African American political incorporation, a useful and revealing portrait emerges--one that will fuel debate and inform future discussions of the role of African Americans in the political process.

Gaining Voice
Gaining Voice

Author: Christopher J. Clark

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2019-02-25

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0190933585

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Scholars studying the causes and consequences of political representation, particularly in terms of gender and race, often turn to a concept called descriptive representation. Descriptive representation tells us the degree to which elected officials resemble their constituents, and whether such a resemblance has a bearing on the way they legislate. In other words, do people vote for candidates of their same racial/ethnic background or gender? If they do, does this affect the type of policies an elected official pursues? Further, if citizens see people who look like them in office, does it have an effect on their political attitudes and participation? In this book, Christopher J. Clark argues that descriptive representation is a more multi-faceted phenomenon than previously shown, particularly when observed at the state level. He contends that black political involvement, political attitudes, and public opinion are contingent on more than being represented by a single black elected official. Rather, they hinge on the proportion of African Americans making up a state legislature--what Clark terms "black seat share"--as well as the degree to which that proportion reflects the demographic makeup of the state. As well, Clark pinpoints the critical mass of African American legislators necessary to initiate the creation of black caucuses, an important institution for minority representation. Clark bases his study on an examination of black representation in state legislatures between 1966 and 2010, looking particularly at black political opinion and involvement in the development of welfare and education policy.

Politics in the New South
Politics in the New South

Author: Charles E. Menifield

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 2005-09-01

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9780791465318

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Documents political advances made by African Americans in the South over the last twenty-five years.

Black Power in the Suburbs
Black Power in the Suburbs

Author: Valerie C. Johnson

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2012-02-01

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0791487792

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The country's largest concentration of African American suburban affluence represents a unique laboratory to study the internal factors associated with African American political ascendancy and the convergence of race and class. Black Power in the Suburbs chronicles Prince George's County, Maryland, and the twenty-three year quest by African Americans to influence educational policy and become equal partners in the county's governing coalition. Johnson challenges conventional notions of a monolithic community by addressing the manner in which class cleavages among African Americans affect their representation and policy interests in suburbia. She also documents white resistance to power sharing and the impact of school desegregation on white population trends.

American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom
American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom

Author: Hanes Walton, Jr

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-12-30

Total Pages: 473

ISBN-13: 1000328724

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This dynamic and comprehensive text from nationally renowned scholars continues to demonstrate the profound influence African Americans have had—and continue to have—on American politics. Using two interrelated themes—the idea of universal freedom and the concept of minority–majority coalitions—the text demonstrates how the presence of Africans in the United States affected the founding of the Republic and its political institutions and processes. The authors show that through the quest for their own freedom in the United States, African Americans have universalized and expanded the freedoms of all Americans. New to the Ninth Edition • Updated sections on intersectionality, dealing with issues of race and gender. • Updated section on African American music, to include the role of Hip Hop. • Updated sections on mass media coverage of African Americans and the African American celebrity impact on politics, adding new mention of the CROWN Act and the politics of Black hair. • Updated section on the "Black Lives Matter" movement, adding a new section on the "Me Too" movement. • Updated sections on African Americans in Congress, with a new mention of the Squad. • Updated voting behavior through the 2020 elections, connecting the Obama years with the new administration. • A comparison of the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. • A discussion of the way in which race contributes to the polarization of American politics in the 2020 presidential campaign. • An analysis of the racial attitudes of President Trump, and the institutionally racist policies of his administrations. • Updated chapter on state and local politics, including a new section on state executive offices and Black mayors. • Updated sections on material well-being indicators, adding a new section on the coronavirus pandemic and the Black community. • The first overall assessment of the Obama administration in relation to domestic and foreign policy and racial politics.

The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus
The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus

Author: Jas M. Sullivan

Publisher: LSU Press

Published: 2011-12-12

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 0807140384

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Since the creation of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus in 1977, the number of black lawmakers in the Louisiana legislature has increased; however, many of the socioeconomic indicators show that the condition of their constituents has failed to improve. In The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, Jas M. Sullivan and Jonathan Winburn analyze the evolution of the LLBC and raise critical questions as to the effectiveness and limitations of this body of minority legislators. Sullivan and Winburn ask why the LLBC, composed entirely of Democrats, had the lowest bill-passage rate among all the groups in the legislature at the same time the Democratic Party held the majority. The inability of the LLBC to form coalitions across party lines, and even inside its own party, limits its effectiveness, the authors contend. Though LLBC members vote together more often than any other group in the legislature, their bills rarely receive support from outside the caucus. The issues faced by the LLBC's constituents often fail to garner enough support from white Democrats, a group more closely aligned with their Republican colleagues. Based on years of research and extensive interviews with caucus members, The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus offers a deft analysis of minority representation in Louisiana that helps explain why, four decades after the LLBC was established, blacks continue to lag behind whites in key social and economic areas in the Pelican State.

Florida's Minority Trailblazers
Florida's Minority Trailblazers

Author: Susan MacManus

Publisher: University Press of Florida

Published: 2016-11-21

Total Pages: 605

ISBN-13: 081305964X

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"Saves a piece of Florida political history by narrating the personal stories of the state's 'minority trailblazers' from the Civil Rights Movement to the present day."--Richard E. Foglesong, author of Immigrant Prince: Mel Martinez and the American Dream "Captures Florida's ongoing political transition from a 'yellow-dog,' lily-white state to one where diversity is beginning to make an impact on politics."--Doug Lyons, former senior editorial writer, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Florida experienced a population surge during the 1960s that diversified the state and transformed it into a microcosm of the nation, but discrimination remained pervasive. With the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, along with later rulings on redistricting and term limits, the opportunity to participate in government became more and more possible for previously silenced voices. Drawing primarily from personal interviews, Susan MacManus recounts the stories of the first minority men and women--both Democrat and Republican--who were elected or appointed to state legislative, executive, and judicial offices and to the U.S. Congress since the 1960s. She reveals what drove these leaders to enter office, how they ran their campaigns, what kinds of discrimination they encountered, what rewards each found during their terms, and what advice they would share with aspiring politicians. In addition to the words of the officeholders themselves, MacManus provides helpful timelines, photos, biographical sketches of each politician, and election results from path-breaking victories. The book also includes comprehensive rosters of minority individuals who have held state offices and those who have gone on to represent Florida in the federal government. Full of inspiring stories and informative statistics, Florida's Minority Trailblazers is an in-depth rendering of personal struggles--guided by opportunity, ambition, and idealism--that have made Florida the vibrant, diverse state it is today. Susan A. MacManus is Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Government and International Affairs at the University of South Florida and the coauthor of Politics in Florida and Politics in States and Communities. A volume in the series Florida Government and Politics, edited by David R. Colburn and Susan A. MacManus

Losing Power
Losing Power

Author: Sekou M. Franklin

Publisher: University of Georgia Press

Published: 2020-01-15

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 0820356069

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Tennessee has made tremendous strides in race relations since the end of de jure segregation. African Americans are routinely elected and appointed to state and local offices, the black vote has tremendous sway in statewide elections, and legally explicit forms of racial segregation have been outlawed. Yet the idea of transforming Tennessee into a racially equitable state—a notion that was central to the black freedom movement during the antebellum and Jim Crow periods—remains elusive for many African Americans in Tennessee, especially those living in the most underresourced and economically distressed communities. Losing Power investigates the complex relationship between racial polarization, black political influence, and multiracial coalitions in Tennessee in the first decade of the twenty-first century. Sekou M. Franklin and Ray Block examine the divide in values, preferences, and voting behaviors between blacks and whites, contending that this racial divide is both one of the causes and one of the consequences of black Tennesseans’ recent loss of political power. Tennessee has historically been considered more politically moderate and less racially conservative than the states of the Deep South. Yet in recent years and particularly since the mid- 2000s, Republicans have cemented their influence in the state. While Franklin and Block’s analysis and methodology focus on state elections, political institutions, and public policy, Franklin and Block have also developed a conceptual framework for racial politics that goes beyond voting patterns to include elite-level discourse (issue framing), intrastate geographical divisions, social movements, and pressure from interest groups.