Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream explores the political significance of ethnicity for new immigrant and native-born blacks. Utilizing an original survey of a New York City labor population and multiple national data sources, Black Ethnics concludes that racial and ethnic identities affect the ways in which black ethnic groups conceptualize their possibilities for advancement and placement within the American polity. The ethnic and racial dual identity for blacks leads to significant distinctions in political behavior, feelings of ... More

Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream explores the political significance of ethnicity for new immigrant and native-born blacks. Utilizing an original survey of a New York City labor population and multiple national data sources, Black Ethnics concludes that racial and ethnic identities affect the ways in which black ethnic groups conceptualize their possibilities for advancement and placement within the American polity. The ethnic and racial dual identity for blacks leads to significant distinctions in political behavior, feelings of incorporation, and policy choices in ways not previously theorized. The steady immigration of black populations from Africa and the Caribbean over the past few decades has fundamentally changed the racial, ethnic, and political landscape in the United States. An important question for social scientists is how these “new” blacks will behave politically. With increases in immigration of black ethnic populations in the United States, the political, social, and economic integration processes of black immigrants does not completely echo that of native-born American blacks. The emergent complexity of black intraracial identity and negotiations within the American polity raise new questions about black political incorporation, assimilation, acceptance, and fulfillment of the American Dream. By comparing Afro-Caribbean and African groups to native-born blacks, this book develops a more nuanced and accurate understanding of the “new black America” coalition politics in the twenty-first century.