Black Protesters in a White Social Movement: Racial Stratification among American Iraq War Protesters

• In Event: 3160 - Collective Behavior

Abstract

African Americans were under-represented in the anti-Iraq War movement of the 2000s. Even though they lean strongly Democrat and disapproved of the war more than Whites, only 6% of protesters were Black compared with 12% in the American population. This paper argues that this reflects the organizational decoupling of the antiwar movement from the African American community. Furthermore, we find evidence of frame “misalignment,” where Blacks were less likely to adopt the dominant frames of the antiwar movement and instead employ auxiliary frames that focused on being a movement ally. These argument are supported with data from over 6,000 protesters surveyed at antiwar rallies in the 2000s.

Authors

• Fabio Rojas, Indiana University

• Michael T. Heaney, University of Michigan

• Muna Adem, Indiana University