Creating a Transnational Network of Black Representation in the Americas: A Profile of the Legislators at the First Meeting of Black Parliamentarians in Latin America

Las Vidas Negras Importan: Centering Blackness and Racial Politics in Latin American Research

“…There are mixed results on whether, when, and how much race affects voting choices. Scholarship on Brazil shows clear differences between group consciousness and vote choice among mixed-race and Black voters, where darker skin accounts for a higher likelihood to vote for Black candidates (Mitchell 2010). Among those of mixed race, or those identified as Brown in Brazil, there is little evidence of race influencing vote choice (Aguilar et al 2015, Mitchell 2010.…”

“…Scholarship on Brazil shows clear differences between group consciousness and vote choice among mixed-race and Black voters, where darker skin accounts for a higher likelihood to vote for Black candidates (Mitchell 2010). Among those of mixed race, or those identified as Brown in Brazil, there is little evidence of race influencing vote choice (Aguilar et al 2015, Mitchell 2010. Aguilar et al (2015), for example, find that a candidate's race often matters to Black Brazilian voters but less so to White and Brown Brazilians.…”

“…Johnson (1998) first chronicled the levels of racial representation in Brazil, noting that Afro-Brazilians were severely underrepresented in Congress, ranging from 0% to 3% from 1983 to 1999 despite their majority share of the population. Underrepresentation is particularly relevant to Black communities as there is some evidence that Black Brazilian legislators promote Black causes over party loyalty (Mitchell et al 2017). Since these studies, researchers have tried to identify the factors that contribute to the overrepresentation of White elected officials.…”