Political Winds Could End 'Black=Urban'

Pete Saunders notes that urban base of African-American politics is eroding, such that: "African-American politicians will have to adapt or risk losing influence -- and offices."

"Chicago and Washington, DC come to mind as two cities with waning black political influence due to demographic changes.  In highly segregated Chicago, a black political agenda was so effectively consolidated under previous mayor Richard M. Daley that few leaders have emerged to take on matters at a citywide scale."

As for what these political winds entail for the future of communities, and who will manage the offices and agencies that control their futures, Saunders predicts that black political influence will shift from city to suburb. "Using Chicago again as an example, blacks have made significant gains in recent years in Cook County government and in suburban Cook municipalities, at the same time that the level of influence within the City of Chicago wanes."

Finally, and powerfully, Saunders notes another consequence of the evolution of the U.S. political map: "This is one way that the conflagration of "black = urban" comes to an end."