Intersectional Latina Politics: US Afro & Black Latinas' Political Behavior

• In Event: Contemporary Latina/é Politics, Participation, and Representation

Abstract

Research on Latina politics suggests that Latinas are more likely to be linked to politics. Latinas have also been shown to have more inclusive and coalitional politics in Congress compared to white Anglo women in Congress. Latina elected officials generally will include other non-Latina/os when supporting or championing policies. Is this the case of the mass public? Latinas live intersectional lives not only by way of gender and Latinidad but also race. Ultimately, I am interested in the role of Latinas’ racial identification as Afro-Latina or Black Latinas on their political behavior and participation. I ask, how are U.S. Afro/Black Latinas the same or different from non-Afro-Latinas? Does it matter politically? In other words, what are the political consequences of an Afro-/Black Latina identity on coalition-building as compared to non-Afro/Black Latinas? I argue that self-identified Afro-Latinas and Black Afro-Latinas, compared to non-Afro/Black Latinas, will have the highest level of solidarity politics with a focus on police reform, Black Lives Matter, women’s rights, and LGBTQ rights. To self-identify as an Afro- and/or Black Latina, I argue, signals a racial-gendered political stance that influences solidarity and coalitional politics, which have the potential to positively influence racial and gendered justice in the U.S.

Author

• Yalidy M. Matos, Rutgers University