Black ethnicity: Identity, participation, and policy

This project explores the significance of black ethnic immigrants by quantitatively and qualitatively investigating the political attitudes and behavior of these new populations and their effects on black politics at the individual, aggregate, and elite levels. It makes a case for considering differences in black ethnic inclusion in the social science scholarship on the American polity.;Utilizing an original survey of members of the Social Services Employees Union (SSEU)-Local 371, elite level interviews within the union, and national data sources, the study concludes that racial and ethnic identities affect the ways in which black ethnics conceptualize their advancement in the American political system. Group attachments and ethnic distinctions extend beyond model minority statuses and theories of downward assimilation for black foreign-born populations. This study shows that blacks are engaged in a complex negotiation with the promises of the American dream, the underpinnings of the Civil Rights Movement, and labor union identification. These multifaceted identities situate racial and ethnic identifications as two distinct entities that take precedence depending on the issue. This dual identity for blacks in the U.S. lends itself to significant distinctions in their political behavior and policy choices. This work finds that both racial and ethnic identity affects political participation and feelings of incorporation in ways not previously theorized.;By comparing Afro-Caribbean and African populations, this study explores how foreign-born black populations create new ways of defining and understanding black politics and coalitions in the post-Civil Rights era.;Chapter One provides an overview of the project, research questions, hypotheses, and the fundamental motivations driving this study. It introduces the concept of diverse black identities in the U.S. and summarizes the theoretical contributions of the dissertation. The arrival of "new blacks" to New York City presents challenging questions about the future of black public policy, representation, and collective action.;Chapter Two begins to dissect the relevance of race and ethnicity in considering the potential for larger group formation, as well as ascertain the possibility of broad based black coalition building. This chapter explains how increased migration of black immigrants, and the make-up of blacks have changed significantly since the 1960s and affect ethnic identification, electoral group participation, and policy choices. It lays out the theoretical arguments of black ethnic relations: that race is a significant factor that links black populations residing in the U.S., and that ethnicity is also a determining factor for individuals' attitudes, opinions, and identity. It also reviews the changing demographics of black populations in the U.S.;Chapter Three describes the survey data used in this study and the racial and ethnic categories that will be examined closely in a survey of a particular labor union population in New York City.;Chapter Four shows that black ethnics exhibit poignant opinions toward one another, revealing the significant ethnic particularities among the labor union members studied. The survey responses indicate varying distinctive attitudes about the success and achievement efforts of black immigrant groups in the U.S. A significant black racial identity exists among native-born and foreign-born populations. Ethnic differences are also present in how black ethnic populations view their treatment in the U.S., concerning, specifically, who is to blame if success is not attained, the merits of hard work and its correlations with success, and the intersection of immigration and job availability. The data indicate unity when it comes to inter-racial context, that is, blacks versus to non-blacks. However, what is not as easily negotiable is coalition building in an intra-racial context.;Chapter Five shows that demographic factors, specifically length of time in New York City, U.S. nativity, and whether an individual grew-up in the U.S., directly affect black union members' propensities for political and electoral participation. Multiple data sources reveal that extensive variation that exists in participation rates at the local and national levels. The data also highlight the differences between union member political participation rates to those of the larger U.S. population.;Chapter Six analyzes two distinct sets of issues, racial versus government spending issues. Among the union members studied, black ethnic opinions toward national government spending are largely identical. However, black ethnics exhibit distinct opinions regarding issues not promoted by the union. For issues not consistently discussed by union leadership, black American and Afro-Caribbeans exhibit the most similar responses regarding the policy issues when compared to African members.;The final chapter summarizes how neither racial nor ethnic identity solely explains the political participation tendencies or policy attitudes of black ethnics living in the U.S. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...