Black Immigrant Residential Segregation: An Investigation of the Primacy of Race Model Determining Neighborhood Characteristics

Rebbeca Tesfai, University of Pennsylvania

Sociologists have long viewed residential segregation as a key aspect of assimilation. Research consistently shows that racial and ethnic segregation still exists at high levels. While there are two extensive literatures on race and immigrant segregation, there is very little research on the group that combines the two: black immigrants. This paper focuses on the residential outcomes of black immigrants, improving on previous literature in three ways. First, I disaggregate non-Hispanic black immigrants into the two component groups: African and Caribbean-born blacks. Second, I investigate the residential segregation of black immigrants in a variety of settlement areas (i.e. traditional, emerging). Finally, I investigate racial and economic segregation. This paper uses the locational attainment model to describe the neighborhoods of US and foreign-born blacks. Results indicate whether the primacy of race model accurately predicts the neighborhood characteristics of black immigrants in the same way as for US born blacks.