Editors’ Introduction

Abstract

This issue is of special importance to us, as it is the first issue of the National Review of Black Politics that was edited entirely by the new editorial team. We are indebted to our predecessor, Dr. Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, for the trail she blazed at the National Political Science Review, and to the guest editors she selected for the first two issues of NRBP, Drs. Sherri Wallace and Sharon Wright Austin. And we honor the work of our book review editor, Shenita Brazelton. Book reviews are a vital part of this journal, and Dr. Brazelton has demonstrated her commitment to them as she partners with us on this editorial journey.Our goal is to build on the work of Dr. Willoughby-Herard in this and upcoming issues of NRBP. The current issue presents a snapshot of the ongoing great work in the field of Black politics, and includes articles that span traditional subfields and methodological approaches. The topics also vary, reflecting the expansive reach of the study of Black politics: an historical analysis of the legacy of pan-Africanism on African international organizations and Ghanaian political institutions; a religion and politics piece on the relationship between theological attitudes and Black political participation in the United States; and a comparative race, ethnicity, and politics article on the relationship between feelings of belonging and perceptions of discrimination on electoral and nonelectoral forms of American political participation.We would like to point out a particular aspect of our articles that we hope distinguishes our journal and sets a tone for scholarly discussion. As you will find, this issue does include null findings. While we cannot promise that all papers with null findings will make it through the peer-review process, we believe that it is important to publish null findings when appropriate. First, we believe that taking the approach that null findings are potentially publishable encourages transparency and ethical research practices. Plus, as you will see in this issue, we can learn as much from null findings as we can from positive findings. Because of the substantive value of all of these findings, we want to assure our colleagues, particularly junior scholars, that we welcome all kinds of rigorous studies for consideration in this journal.Now more than ever, we need the types of scholarship that we intend to publish in this journal. We imagine that many of you have been compelled by the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and police violence against Blacks to document and explain what is going on. We hope that you would give us the honor of considering your work for publication here. As the scholarly journal of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists, we believe that this journal should be destination reading for such important scholarship.Thank you for reading, and thanks in advance for your submissions!