Who Is Black on the Block? Black Immigrants and Changing Black Neighborhoods

Abstract

In recent decades, the United States has seen a significant rise in Black immigration, reshaping Black neighborhoods and the landscape of Black America. Using census and American Community Survey data, this article examines the relationship between an influx of Black immigrants and changes in neighborhood racial composition and segregation. Findings show an increase in Black immigrants relates to a decline in the Black native population and an increase in White residents within a Black American neighborhood. Furthermore, the presence of Black immigrants relates to native-born Black-White integration by preceding Black entry into White neighborhoods and White entry into Black neighborhoods. This study elucidates intraracial spatial dynamics between Black people, emphasizing the intersecting roles of race and nativity on neighborhood change in a diversifying United States.