Has America Moved Past Affirmative Action With the Election of a Black President?

Social Psychology Dynamics in the Political Arena

Has America moved past Affirmative Action with the election of a Black President?

"Black Employment in Municipal Jobs: The Impact of Black Political Power" by Peter K. Eisinger explores levels of black employment in 43 U.S. cities as they relate to four variables: the size of the local black population, the presence of a black mayor, the expansion or contraction of the local public sector, and the level of education of the local black labor pool. Eisinger found that the size of the local black population most affected levels of black employment in the public sector, and argues that a partial reason for this circumstance is political; the larger the black population, the more substantial the black voting bloc. The second most influential factor affecting black employment levels is the presence of a black mayor. The expansion of the local public sector appears to facilitate black employment at "some very modest level," while level of education of the local black labor pool appears to have no affect on black employment. These findings, Eisinger implies, suggest that city governments do in fact have the power to influence the economic well-being of minorities.

"White Residents, Black Incumbants, and a Declining Racial Divide" by Zoltan L. Hajnal studies the effects of the election of African-Americans on the racial views of local whites. It argues that, while the election of blacks can have only a small, concrete, beneficial effect on the local black community (if any), it has a much more significant effect on the racial views of local whites. Hajnal tests three hypotheses about white racial attitudes: black political representation improves white attitudes toward African-Americans, thus increasing the chance they will vote for a black incunbant in the future, black political representation will not improve white attitudes toward blacks as the result of deeply ingrained racial stereotypes, and black political representation will negatively affect white racial attitudes in a "backlash" effect. Hajnal found, by comparing white attitudes toward the African-American community before, during, and after black political representation, that black representation appears to result in a positive white attitude shift toward African-Americans, as well as in their future African-American vote. This suggests, Hajnal argues, that whites are likely to change their opinion as the result of more information (gained from having a black representative).