Aqui No Hay Oportunidades: Latino Segregation and the Keys to Political Participation

Abstract

For decades, political scientists, sociologists, and historians have tracked the perils of residential segregation in the African American community. The consensus is clear: segregation has hampered African American socioeconomic mobility and social integration. Given the strong relationship between socioeconomic status and political participation, segregation, therefore, is at least partially responsible for low levels of political participation within the black community. Over the last 20 years, Latinos have started to experience segregation rates similar to African Americans. I argue that the detriments of residential segregation are not isolated to the black community and present similar barriers to Latinos. This finding has important political implications, indicating that Latinos are unlikely to realize their full potential at the ballot box because of the socioeconomic barriers of segregation.Related Articles:“English Proficiency and Latino Participation in U.S. Elections.” (2011) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2011.00302.x/abstract“Racial Self‐Identification and Latino Political Engagement.” (2009) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2009.00220.x/abstract“Boosting Latino and Black Political Participation.” (2005) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2005.tb00803.x/abstract