New Book by Faculty Fellow Candis Watts Smith: 'Black Politics in Transition'
Sept. 12, 2018
ENACT congratulates Faculty Fellow Candis Watts Smith on the publication of "Black Politics in Transition: Immigration, Suburbanization and Gentrification" (Routledge, 2018), which she co-edited with Christina M. Greer of Fordham University.
Smith is an assistant professor of public policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she teaches her ENACT course.
"ENACT centers the idea that we should focus on getting students engaged with state and local politics," says Smith. "'Black Politics in Transition' shares that goal as each chapter speaks to the new challenges that Black (and also Latinx) people face in their states, cities, and even in their neighborhoods; the contributors provide insight into how politics might be wielded to produce more equitable outcomes for marginalized populations."
"Black Politics in Transition" considers the impact of three transformative forces — immigration, suburbanization and gentrification — on Black politics today. Demographic changes resulting from immigration and ethnic blending are dramatically affecting the character and identity of Black populations throughout the U.S. Blacks are becoming more ethnically diverse at the same time that they are sharing space with newcomers from near and far. In addition, the movement of Black populations out of the cities to which they migrated a generation ago — a reverse migration of the American South, in some cases, and in other cases a movement from cities to suburbs shifts the locus of Black politics.
Some of the most important developments in Black politics are happening at state and local levels today, and this book captures that for students, scholars, and citizens engaged in this dynamic milieu.