Shared Status, Shared Politics? Evaluating a New Pathway to Black Solidarity with Other People of Color

Abstract

Research suggests that solidarity between people of color (PoC) is triggered when a marginalized ingroup believes they are discriminated similarly to another outgroup. This evidence has primarily focused on Asian Americans, Latinos, and Middle Eastern people, who are systematically discriminated against as foreigners. Yet evidence remains absent on Black people, who are systematically discriminated against as inferior, but not as foreign. Using a pair of pre-registered experiments with Black and Latino adults (N = 2060), we manipulated a shared sense of discrimination as inferior (“second class citizenship”). This treatment measurably increased Black solidarity with PoC, which then significantly boosted their support for pro-Latino policies (e.g., less Border Patrol agents along US-Mexico border). This pattern was reciprocated by Latinos, whose heightened solidarity with PoC increased their support for pro-Black initiatives (e.g., endorsing #BlackLivesMatter). Sensitivity analyses further establish this pathway’s viability. We discuss the implications for more effective coalition-building among racially minoritized groups in US politics.

Men of Color, Linked Fate, and Support for Women of Color Candidates

“…They were also warmer toward Black women congressional candidates and WoC congressional candidates. In line with prior work (Bejarano et al 2021;Cortland et al 2017;Pérez 2021;Pérez, Vicuña, and Ramos 2023;Zou and Cheryan 2017), these findings suggest that awareness of racial/ethnic discrimination generally leads to higher scores for underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.…”

Taking Stock of Solidarity between People of Color: A Mini Meta-Analysis of Five Experiments

“…This heightened solidarity then increases their support for policies that implicate outgroups beyond one's own (e.g., MENAs become more pro-Latino and Latinos become more pro-Asian). Furthermore, when Black Americans and Latinos sense they are similarly discriminated as inferior, they also express greater solidarity with PoC, which propels them to become more pro-Latino and pro-Black, respectively (Pérez, Vicuña, and Ramos 2023a). Therefore, a sense of shared discrimination can be triggered among widely recognized minoritized groups (e.g., African Americans and Latinos), plus communities whose racialized experiences are less widely acknowledged (e.g., MENAs).…”