City Politics and Black Protest: The Economic Transformation of Harlem and Bronzeville

Abstract

Can metropolitan political systems affect the level of Black-led protest politics? While researchers stress the importance of individual-level socio-economic status, others contend that a city's political landscape is an influential force in determining political engagement.Using a comparative ethnographic approach, this study explores how the distinct political situations in New York City (NYC) and Chicago relate to the proliferation of protest politics concerning displacement in two revitalizing African American communities. Harlem in NYC and Bronzeville in Chicago are currently experiencing major economic transformations. After middle-class flight and years of economic abandonment, these areas are experiencing an influx of commercial and residential investment, rapidly changing them from low to more mixed-income environments. Despite a substantial amount of positive media attention, there is little community consensus about the redevelopment that is occurring, since it is associated with displacement. Although these communities have similar socio-economic characteristics, the extent of protest politics stemming from these areas is vastly disparate; activism is much more pervasive in Harlem. NYC and Chicago have drastically different political landscapes; NYC's political system is fragmented and characterized as pluralistic, while Chicago has a centralized political machine. NYC's diverse political system facilitates contested politics while Chicago's monolithic party machine is associated with limited Black-led opposition. This study contributes to the notion that structural forces emanating from the city level strongly influence African American community politics.