Are We There Yet? Place, Political Economy, and Black Progress

Data shows that African Americans have grown more disillusioned with racial progress over time. Additionally, since the 1970s, African Americans have left major cities in the Midwest, Northeast, and West to reside in metropolitan areas across the South. These two changes beg the question, to what extent does place shape Black’s racial progress attitudes? Political scientist Jessica Lynn Stewart will explore the relationship between geography, economic opportunity, and Black progress. Using a mixed-methods approach that features analysis of survey data from 1964 to 2020 and a comparative case study across Chicago, IL. and Atlanta, GA., Stewart will examine how contextual factors influence perceptions of upward group mobility and progressive policy preferences.