Twenty-First Century Black Mayors, Non-Majority Black Cities, And the Representation of Black Interests By Ravi Kumar Perry A.B., University of Michigan, 2004 A.M., Brown University, 2006 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Political Science at Brown University Providence, Rhode Island May 2009 © Copyright 2009 by Ravi K. Perry iii This dissertation by Ravi Kumar Perry is accepted in its present form by the Department of Political Science as satisfying the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Date_____________ _________________________________ Marion Orr, Ph.D., Advisor Recommended to the Graduate Council Date_____________ _________________________________ James Morone, Ph.D., Reader Date_____________ _________________________________ Wendy Schiller, Ph.D., Reader Date_____________ _________________________________ Darrell West, Ph.D., Reader Approved by the Graduate Council Date_____________ _________________________________ Sheila Bonde, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate School iv CURRICULUM VITAE Ravi Kumar Perry 144 S. Fitzhugh St. Telephone: (401) 261-7395 Apartment #1 (585) 275-5149 Rochester, NY 14608 Email: [email protected] Education 2005-current Ph.D. (Expected May 2009), Brown University, Political Science Dissertation: “21st Century Black Mayors, Non-Majority Black Cities, and the Representation of Black Interests.” The dissertation is an examination of the conditions under which Black mayors of non-majority Black cities actively pursue policies designed to improve the quality of life of Black residents and examines the implications of two phenomena: demographic changes in many American cities that are steadily reversing the population dynamics that brought about the election of this nation’s first African-American mayors and how the election of a Black mayor is viewed by Black residents with high expectations and as a result as an opportunity to see city government work in their interests and to address inequities. Committee Members: Marion Orr, Chair; James Morone, Wendy Schiller, Darrell West 2006 A.M., Brown University, Political Science 2004 A.B., University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Political Science, with University Honors Teaching and Research Interests Urban Politics, African American and Minority Politics, Public Policy, Political Representation (African American, Ethnic Minorities), American Politics and Institutions, Contemporary Political Theory (modern political thought, liberalism and its critics) Publications Perry, Ravi. “Voting Rights Act of 1965.” Encyclopedia of African American Education. Forthcoming, October 2009. Perry, Ravi. “Black Mayors in Non-Majority Black Cities: A Theoretical and Methodological Approach to their Study in the 21st Century.” Ethnic Studies Review. Forthcoming, Summer 2009. Research in progress v Perry, Ravi. “The Sociology and Politics of Applied Black Studies: An Analysis of the Applied Work of Selected 20th Century Political and Sociological Scholars.” Forthcoming, Fall 2009. Teaching Experience Visiting Instructor, Wheaton College, Norton, MA Spring 2008 PS 271: African American Politics This class focused on how the struggle for African Americans for full integration and empowerment has influenced the past and current American political environment; the shifting notion of 'community' within the African American experience post the Civil Rights era of the 1960s and development and diversity within the African American community. Teaching Assistant, Brown University Spring 2008 Mass Media, Dr. Darrell West, Professor Teaching Assistant, Brown University Fall 2007 African American Politics, Dr. Katrina Gamble, Professor Intro to the American Political Process, Drs. Roger Cobb and Wendy Schiller, Professors Teaching Assistant/Section Instructor, Brown University City Politics, Dr. James Morone, Professor Teaching Assistant/Section Instructor, Brown University Fall 2006 Introduction to Public Policy, Dr. Ross Cheit, Professor Trained Inter-group Dialogue Facilitator, University of Michigan 2002-2004 Courses Taught: Men/Women, International Students/U.S. Students The Program on Inter-group Relations, Dr. Charles Behling & Monita Thompson, Instructors Guest Lecture, University of Toledo Fall 2007 Introduction to Africana Studies Lecture Title: Constitution through post Civil War Legislation Regarding African Americans Guest Lecture, Eastern Michigan University Fall 2007 African American Politics Lecture Title: Black Mayors: An Overview and Contemporary Challenges Guest Lecture, Wheaton College Spring 2007 Urban Politics, Dr. Marcus Allen, Assistant Professor. Lecture Title: Deracialization and Urban Campaigns Relevant Employment Mayoral Fellow in the Executive Office of Providence, RI June-August 2006 Developed and implemented strategy related to new city ordinance on graffiti abatement and criminalization; worked with Community Relations and the Office vi of Neighborhood Services to locate problem areas within the city that needed attention (missing/broken street signs, graffiti, road repair, etc). Substitute Teacher, Ann Arbor Public School System, Ann Arbor, MI March-July 2005 Coordinated effective and safe educational interaction among students in grades 6-12. Repeatedly assigned to Forsythe Middle School as an instructor of social studies, language arts, and civics, upon teachers’ recommendations, due to positive feedback Campaign Headquarters Coordinator, Mayor Jack Ford (D, Toledo) Dec. 2004-March 2005 Mayoral Re-Election Campaign, Toledo, Ohio Daily operation of the office; coordinated volunteers and organized nightly meetings; phone services; key contact for the minority community; driver for the Mayor; photographer for the campaign. As the only paid campaign staff member at the time, my duties were multiple. Yard Sign Director/Coordinator of Youth Volunteers at Lucas County May - August 2001 Democratic Party for the Jack Ford Mayoral Campaign, Toledo, Ohio Organized, distributed, and assembled all yard signs for the Jack Ford Mayoral Campaign; coordinated youth volunteer recruitment for office staffing and rallies/marches; featured speaker at Get Out the Vote programs Fellowships, Honors and Awards Pre-Doctoral Fellowship 2008-2009 Center for the Study of African American Politics, University of Rochester Byron Jackson Dissertation In Ethnic and Racial Politics Research Support Award 2008-2009 Urban Politics Section of the American Political Science Association Finalist, Erksine Peters Dissertation Year Fellowship 2008 University of Notre Dame, Department of Africana Studies The Phillips G. Davies Graduate Student Paper Award 2008 National Association of Ethnic Studies Conference, Atlanta, GA Tuition Grant Award, University of Michigan 2007 Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Science Research (ICPSR) Summer Four Week Competitive Program/Workshop: “Methodological Issues in Quantitative Research on Race and Ethnicity” Passed Comprehensive Exam in American politics with Distinction and was awarded 2007 $1,000 by the department. Also passed the exam in political theory Fellow, Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences (S4), Brown University 2006-present Summer Fellowship, Department of Political Science Brown University 2006 and 2007 vii Sammy Younge Best Student Paper Award 2005 National Conference of Black Political Scientists Pi Sigma Alpha, National Political Science Honorary Society 2004 University of Michigan Bunche Center for African American Studies, University of California – Los Angeles 2003 Summer Humanities Institute, a 10-week Graduate School Preparation Program Internship, Office of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Washington, D.C. 2002 Conference And Seminar Papers April 2009, The Frederick Douglass Institute for African and African-American Studies, Work in Progress Seminar, The University of Rochester, Rochester, NY “Black Mayors’ Efforts in Black Communities of White Cities: White and Black Reactions” April 2008, National Association of Ethnic Studies Conference, Atlanta, GA “Black Mayors in Non-Majority Black Cities: A Theoretical and Methodological Approach to their Study in the 21st Century.” April 2008, Midwest Political Science Association Conference, Chicago, IL “21st Century Black Mayors, Non-Majority Black Cities and the Representation of Black Interests” April 2008, Urban Affairs Association Conference, Baltimore, MD “21st Century Black Mayors, Non-Majority Black Cities and the Representation of Black Interests” March 2008, National Conference of Black Political Scientists, Chicago, IL “21st Century Black Mayors, Non-Majority Black Cities and the Representation of Black Interests” August 2006, Association of Black Sociologists Annual Conference, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. “Black in White: Deracialization and Black Mayoral Governance in ‘White Cities’” June 2006, Brown University, Spatial Structures for the Social Sciences (S4), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) 1st Annual Summer Institute Mini-Conference “Looking at Wards: Ward and Census intersections of 6 black mayors elected in Ohio since 1999” April 2006, University of Chicago “Eyes of the Mosaic” 13th Annual Minority Graduate Student Conference, Chicago, IL “Deracialization and Racial Tension in Ohio: A Spatial Analysis of the effects of campaign platforms and the inaugural election of two mayors” April 2006, National Association of Ethnic Studies, San Francisco, CA “Deracialization and Racial Tension in Ohio: A Survey of Recent African American