The Impact of Politicized Churches and Party Contact on African American Voter Turnout

- 3 - The Impact of Politicized Churches and Party Contact on African American Voter Turnout Randolph Burnside Southern Illinois University Carbondale Stephanie A. Pink-Harper Southern Illinois University Carbondale The African American community has faced a myriad of challenges regarding their quest for social equity and social justice in America. Among the challenges is the fight for their right to vote. Researchers document numerous factors that have impacted the voting behavior of African Americans. Underexplored, however, is the historical role and impact that the African American church has had on this process. This article examines the impact of politicized churches and party contact on African American voter turnout. The extant literature suggests that both party contact and politicized churches have an impact on African American political participation. In this article which utilizes data from the 1996 National Black Election Study we find that to hold true. However, we also find that politicized churches have more impact on turnout than do party contact. Further, we find that while linked fate does not have a significant relationship to turnout, African Americans’ group efficacy along with age and education play a significant role in who votes

Determining the Level of Cultural Competence of College Police Departments: A Study of Three Different Campuses

This research examines the understanding that police chiefs on three college campuses have about cultural competence and determines how organizationally integrated cultural competence is in their police departments. This article uses semi-structured interviews and surveys to determine the levels and organizational integration of cultural competence. The findings indicate that there are varying degrees of cultural competence across the three departments. This was primarily based on three factors: the level of understanding of cultural competence, the emphasis placed on promoting cultural competence by departmental leadership, and administrative or legal barriers. Given the complexity of cultural competence, the article concludes by offering suggestions for researchers to use multiple tools in assessing cultural competence of service delivery organizations