Exploring Black Women's Diverse Ideologies through Policy Preferences

• In Event: Ideological Diversity within Minoritized Communities

Abstract

In the United States, Black women have been at the center of recent advances in Democratic inclusion and participation. Using the power of the vote, grassroots mobilization, and social networks, Black women have gained a lot of political power. Within this increased democratic participation and power, I highlight the diversity of Black women’s political beliefs and attitudes that fuel their varying forms of political participation. Drawing on Black feminist theory, I engage Black women's diverging and unique ideological positions by proxy of their desired policy preferences. Specifically, using policy measures that normatively reflect pro-Black, pro-Women, and historically sensitive subjects such as stereotypes, Black racial uplift, and state-sanctioned violence with the military and police will create the expected variation. I expect Black women’s unique political beliefs to create variation as to what is best for the group or what leads to “liberation.” This follows the general logic that one’s political beliefs will reflect their policy preferences. Using 2020 CMPS data, I will show the variation in policy preferences and attitudes among Black women using structured equation modeling.

Author

• India Lenear, Rutgers University