The Great Migration and the Democratic Party: Black Voters and the Realignment of American Politics in the 20th Century By Keneshia N. Grant. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2020. 199 pp., $74.50 Cloth

Keneshia N. Grant’s The Great Migration and the Democratic Party: Black Voters and the Realignment of American Politics in the 20th Century highlights the multifaceted political effects of the Great Migration, which was the migration of over six million African Americans from the rural South to their resettlement in the North during the 20th century. As Grant shows, for African Americans, their migration to the North was prompted by many motivations. But, their desire to become full American citizens by being able to vote influenced their political behavior, their political power in northern cities, their ability to elect Black elected officials at various levels of government, and, as northern politicians progressively realized the electoral power of the growing population of Black migrants, their evolution towards becoming major voters in the Democratic Party’s electoral coalition. The Great Migration and the Democratic Party contributes to the current literatures that analyze the development of political parties, American politics, and African American politics. Grant begins by asking “How did the Great Migration influence American politics in northern cities?” (p. 4) Grant’s central argument is that the northward migration enabled Blacks to participate in politics, altering northern politicians’ interactions with growing populations of Black voters; significantly, the migration also enabled Blacks to elect an increasing number of Black elected officials across the nation. By meticulously examining the effect of African American migrant voters upon mayoral elections in Chicago, Detroit, and NY City, Grant adds to the conventional narrative that many Blacks primarily converted from being Republicans to the Democratic Party during the New Deal era. As Grant explains, political scientists generally conceive of political change as occurring either in the electorate or in parties’ organizations. Grant focuses on the elite level, political parties and politicians, arguing that these actors tailor their strategies and policy positions to shape their