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Please view our conversation with the book author of American While Black: African Americans, Immigration, and the Limits of Citizenship.

While the Civil Rights Movement brought increasing opportunities for blacks, this period also saw the liberalization of American immigration policy. The same agitation that allowed blacks to vote also made it possible for increasing numbers of non-European immigrants to enter America for the first time. What has an expanded immigration regime meant for how blacks express national attachment? Using quantitative and qualitative data, this book helps us understand the context and constraint of white supremacy on the formation of black public opinion and national attachment. Recent waves of immigration have presented a dilemma for blacks, causing them to reflect yet again on the meaning and depth of their own citizenship, national identity, and sense of belonging in the United States. It is the author’s contention that immigration, both historically and in the contemporary moment, has served as a reminder of the limited inclusion of African Americans in the body politic.

Book Author:
Niambi Michele Carter is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Howard University.

Discussant:
Efrén Pérez is Professor in the Department of Political Science and Psychology at University of California, Los Angeles.  
 

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