Exploring Black immigrants’ experiences and understanding of law in the United States

• In Event: 50414 - Citizens Interpretations and Experiences of Law

Abstract

Many socio-legal scholars in the United States (US) have, over the years, turned to legal consciousness or simply put, what people say, do, or think about law to reveal attitudes, actions, and understanding of law that could potentially result to complying with, challenging, or resisting legal hegemony or institutional power. Researchers have extensively studied immigrants’ legal consciousness to broaden understanding of how they perpetuate or mitigate existing social inequalities in social institutions such as the criminal justice system, welfare, hospitals, workplaces, and neighborhoods. However, the current literature’s focus on immigration and legal consciousness has insufficiently explored the experiences of Black immigrants who are doubly disadvantaged before the law due to anti-Blackness because of their shared racial features with African Americans and crimmigration because of their status as immigrants. The current study utilizes 50 in-depth interviews to explore the legal consciousness of Black African and Caribbean immigrants in Arizona in the US. It specifically aims to achieve two main goals by first exploring Black immigrants’ experiences of blackness in the US and second highlighting what the immigrants think, say, or do about law. Together, the study provides a comprehensive account of Black immigrants’ experiences in the US by revealing attitudes and behaviors that sustain or challenge institutional power, which could potentially perpetuate or mitigate workplace exploitation, educational barriers, housing discrimination, and legal system challenges, among others. This is particularly vital as it improves understanding of how the group incorporates into society.

Author

• Daniel Tei, Arizona State University-Tempe