Center for the Study of Democracy

This paper considers whether Black elected officials are essential to the political representation of African Americans today? Using data from 1996 National Black Election Study, I address this issue from the vantage point of Blacks themselves. Do Blacks feel that they are better represented in the U.S. system of indirect democracy when their representative is Black? In addition, how does the race of the House representative impact on their political behavior and attitudes? In other words, does Black representation in Washington lead Blacks to become more informed about and more active in national politics? And does Black representation affect attitudes that Blacks have about Congress as an institution more broadly?