Political Participation as Labor: Impacts of Punitive Experiences Black Women

• In Event: New Directions in Policy Feedback and Mass Publics Studies

Abstract

The impacts of punishment - e.g., arrests, jail, imprisonment - on the political participation of Black men have been well documented in the race, policy feedback and political behavior studies. These studies generally find that punishment negatively effects their voting participation. Although Black women represent a disproportionate percentage of those affected by the criminal justice system, there is a dearth of research on how this impacts their political participation. Using a combination of existing and original multi-method data on Black women over time, I analyze how experiences with the criminal justice system, or “punishment,” affect the traditionally high political participation of Black women. Based on preliminary research, I theorize that Black women’s lived experiences of multiple oppressions – including punishment – contribute to their increased political labor rather than to their decreased participation. I suggest that this re-conceptualization is necessary for understanding the danger of uncritically celebrating Black women’s superlative participation, in addition to providing essential insights into their motivations to participate. These findings have important implications for expanding policy feedback research on race-class subjugated groups to take seriously Black women’s punitive experiences.

Author

• Sally Nuamah, Northwestern University