NYC Rebel
...on the otherside of the pond
A couple of statements she made seem a bit contradictory. I want to circle back and have her address some of them, but overall, I thought this was a good interview.
Few people would have predicted the turnout in the 2012 Presidential election would represent the first time in U.S. history, when more African American voters walked through the doors of their local polling stations, having cast their ballots, than white voters.
But it did happen. And, Dr. Zulema Blair, a Professor of Political Science at John Jay College in New York, saw the 2012 voter results as a validation of her ten years worth of research, compiled in her first book Participation at the Margins: Is it Race or Class?
While most of the media’s post-campaign coverage centered on the many failures of the Mitt Romney campaign, Dr. Blair met with BBN, and explained how African American turnout in last November’s Presidential race represents a long trend – pre-dating both the election and re-election of President Barack Obama.There are two tiers of effective political efficacy: Internal, where a voter feels they have a say in the political system. External, where voters feel the government is responsive to their needs. What was it about this past election where voters felt their needs were being met? Dr. Zulema Blair.
Even more revealing in her book, was how class differences, within the African American community, play a huge role at the polls year after year.
BBN: What led you down the path to writing “Participation at the Margins: Is It Race or Class?
Dr. Blair: I look back at my life as this person from Franklin Avenue (Brooklyn) who lived in two worlds. One who hung out with the people around the way, and then having to go back into this world where I attended parochial schools, and was away from everyone else? Then going through college and then graduate school, I would always ask myself who is speaking for the poor. And it wasn’t until I read this book called Regulating the Poor by Frances Fox Piven when I realized that they have no one to speak up for them, knowing that first hand growing up on Franklin Avenue.
BBN: For you, as an academic, how lonely of a fight is it to speak on behalf of people who don’t have a voice, especially in this climate of punishing the poor for being poor?
Dr. Blair: It’s a very lonely fight. You start to find out that people do things both academically and politically to be popular. It’s not always popular to be associated with the unemployed, or that person on the corner. Outside of academia, I work with Richard Green of the Crown Heights Youth Collective, and his motto is, “If I see five guys on the corner, no matter what they’re doing, it’s my job to get at least three of them off.” So, he fought that lonely fight and it kind of taught me a lot.
BBN: Switching gears to last year’s Presidential race. In your book you state there are two tiers of effective political efficacy. One: internal, where a voter feels they have a say in the political system. Two: external, where voters feel the government is responsive to their needs. What was it about this past election where voters felt their needs were being met?
Dr. Blair: With internal efficacy, one feels they have a say in the political system. With President Obama, voters said here’s someone who looks like and speaks to me, so I know that I have a say in this system. Second is external efficacy, particularly for the low-income voter. Their best asset comes through the Federal Government. Housing, Social Security and other entitlement programs all come from the Federal Government, whereas state and local government hasn’t been so receptive to their needs. So, they come out and vote for the Presidency.
BBN: Do you think the President’s policies have spoken to these individuals?
Dr. Blair: I think he has, but it hasn’t been very well publicized. With HUD and the mortgage meltdown, he for one changed the housing policies, and how one does the application process, so it’s not so much of a bureaucratic process anymore.
He’s also figured out a way to lower interest rates as well. But this is where we fall short, and how we remain poor. We don’t have access (to) all of the information that can move us from one level economically to another. Where I do feel he could improve is on immigration. We’ve seen a lot of people deported during his Presidency. But then again we’ve seen that he’s tried using a backdoor deal with the agencies. So I think he did do some things, but he will do more because your first job as President is to get elected and your second job is get re-elected, and he’s done both.
BBN: You long predicted that Black turnout at the polls would eventually outpace every other demographic, finally taking place with President Obama’s re-election. What was it that you saw others didn’t see coming?”
Dr. Blair: Voter turnout overall in the country has been steadily declining since 1960. But in my research of voters between from 1980 until now, I saw that Blacks were increasingly coming to the polls. The most interesting thing was that low income blacks were more likely to vote than any other group in the country. Meanwhile, the middle or upper income Blacks were least likely to vote. White voters were pretty much steady during that time. So, fast forward to 2008 when Obama started running for office, I said, “Hold on. He’s organizing the low-income community.”
BBN: So you saw that there was an opening for someone to take advantage of.
Dr. Blair: Exactly. It was all about their political efficacy. He was building their political efficacy. He was letting them know they had a say.
BBN: What do you see as other reasons for the increase in Black voter turnout?
Dr. Blair: Well, the Black vote has been increasing over the years and for varying reasons. You have the Voting Rights Act, a younger demographic, growing home ownership, Blacks having better jobs and more educational attainment, so I think it will continue to rise in the future. But we’re starting to see retrogressive behavior by States where they’re asking voters to bring identification, not just a birth certificate, or a social security card. Now they want voters to bring in a photo ID, so many people are looking at that as a poll tax, so registration is again becoming a hurdle, and that may slow Black voting down a bit. But as we saw in Florida where people stood on line for hours even after the election was called, so I would say it depends on who is running.
BBN: Lastly. As a first time author and longtime academic, what is the biggest thing you want someone to take away from reading your book?
Dr. Blair: I want them to understand that low-income individuals do in fact support American ideals and the American ethos, and that they’re not a separate category. They’re not a part of an “other” America so they need to be included in these policy debates, and their input should be brought to the table. And, when I’m talking about low-income, I’m not just talking about individuals who didn’t get a break in terms of education or recent college graduates, we’re talking about individuals who have to resort to turning to the underground economy. We have to figure out a way to have these individuals re-enter society traditionally, economically and politically, and not cast them out as individuals who don’t want to belong.
BBN: Again, Dr. Blair, BBN thanks you for your time, and we wish you future success with your book.
Dr. Blair: Thank you.