More than “just Black”: the Black second generation at the intersections of race, class, and ethnicity

In its first iteration, segmented assimilation theory was quite pessimistic about the assimilation pathway and outcomes of the Black second-generation. In a later publication, Alejandro Portes and his collaborators agreed that minority children from affluent backgrounds should be able to navigate the challenges of racial discrimination with equanimity, but they were silent on the mechanisms and strategies minority children would use to do this. I wondered what roles race, class, national origin, and ethnicity would play in the assimilation outcomes of the Black second-generation. The answer was unclear because segmented assimilation theory undertheorizes the impact of these factors on the Black second-generation experience. Using insights from my study on the nature of incorporation of second-generation Nigerian adults in the United States and Britain, I show how in combination, race, ethnicity, and class (both parental and individual) affect identity formation and assimilation of the adult Black second-generation, producing better outcomes.