Educational Attainment, Citizenship, and Black American Women in Elected and Appointed National Leadership Positions

Abstract

This article examines the issue of American citizenship and how it is related to Black Americans, especially from the perspectives of educational attainment and national political leadership positions (focusing on the U.S. Senate, office of governor, and the U.S. Supreme Court). The article presents seven interrelated conceptual or theoretical perspectives of American citizenship (Three Citizenships; Gender; Equality; Race; Belonging; Military Service; and Protestant Christianity), and where Black Americans (especially Black women) fit in them. The article claims that while Black American women have made substantial progress in college degree attainment, they have done so at a very high financial cost. The article claims that compared with other groups in the society, the gains in educational attainment made by Black American women have not resulted in them being elected or selected to these national leadership positions. Among the factors presented for this exclusion of Black women are: lack of strong support from Black American male leaders and institutional support; ambition; first occupy public office within the states of the Union; they must become moderate politicians; perception that Black women have more privileges in the society than Black men and other groups; and negative media portrayal of Black female candidates. The article claims that despite being one of the oldest and most native groups in the United States, with over nine out of every 10 of them being native-born citizens, Black American women in particular tend to have the characteristics of non-citizens.