Interesting and useful… . Explores the strengths and weaknesses of deracialization … [and] provides informative accounts of the recent campaigns, elections, and policies of ten African American political leaders. –Robert A. Dahl, Yale University

A fine contribution to our evolving understanding of race and politics. –Mark Stern, University of Central Florida, and author of Calculating Visions: Kennedy, Johnson, and Civil Rights

Deracialization–the soft-pedaling or avoidance of black issues combined with a vigorous appeal to white voters–is a controversial strategy employed by some high-profile black politicians from Seattle to Atlanta. Contributors debate here whether deracialization harms the social and economic interests of African Americans.

Focusing on ten black politicians’ campaigns between 1989 and 1992, including Carol Moseley-Braun, Andrew Young, David Dinkins, and Douglas Wilder, the authors also consider whether such a strategy increases the number of elected black officials and whether black politicians elected as a result of such campaigns have gone on to run deracialized governments.

CONTENTS An Analysis of Major Themes in the Concept of Deracialization, by Huey L. Perry I. Deracialization in Statewide Politics
Analyzing the Wilder Administration through the Construct of Deracialization Politics, by Alvin J. Schexnider The 1990 U.S. Senate Election in North Carolina, by Charles L. Prysby The Election of Carol Moseley-Braun in the U.S. Senate Race in Illinois, by Roger K. Oden II. Deracialization in City and State Politics The Election and Governance of David Dinkins as Mayor of New York, by J. Phillip Thompson The Election of Norman B. Rice as Mayor of Seattle, by Mylon Winn and Errol G. Palmer The Rise and Fall of Deracialization: Andrew Young as Mayor and Gubernatorial Candidate, by Carol A. Pierannunzi and John D. Hutcheson III. Deracialization in a State Legislative Campaign The Election of Troy Carter to the Louisiana House of Representatives, by James L. Llorens, Sharon K. Parsons, and Huey L. Perry IV. Critical Perspectives on Deracialization The Election and Governance of John Daniels as Mayor of New Haven, by Mary Summers and Philip A. Klinkner The Deracialization Strategy and African American Mayoral Candidates in Memphis Mayoral Elections, by Sharon D. Wright The Governance of Kurt Schmoke as Mayor of Baltimore, by Lenneal J. Henderson, Jr. V. Deracialization: A Comprehensive Perspective Deracialization and the New Black Politics, by Robert B. Albritton, George Amedee, Keenan Grenell, and Don-Terry Veal Conclusion: The Value of Deracialization as an Analytical Construct in American Politics, by Huey L. Perry

Huey L. Perry is professor of political science at Southern University, Baton Rouge. His extensive publications on the subjects of black politics and public policy include Blacks and the American Political System (UPF, 1995, co-edited with Wayne Parent) and Democracy and Public Policy (1985).