The Freedom to Breathe: African Americans and Political Participation

Abstract

Objective: This research assesses political efficacy, religion, affluence, educational attainment, network social ties, extended work hours, and number of children to determine political participation in the Freedom to Breathe campaign. The author seeks to establish the distinctness between residents of Oakland, CA who participated in a “Freedom to Breathe” campaign, organized by environmental justice group Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) advocating against excessive air pollution, and the remaining residents who did not participate in the campaign. Methods: A survey was mailed to Oakland residents who did not participate in the campaign by means of random cluster sampling. A total of 10 blocks was randomly selected from the area map and five households were surveyed from each block. For each selected block, about 5-7 households were contacted for participation in the survey. Residents of the city of Oakland who had participated in the campaign were given a survey to complete at the headquarters of CBE during a weekly meeting. Results: We find that several contextual factors and social ties play a major role in mobilization of African Americans in this specific campaign. Avenues for future research are also discussed.