Disillusioned with Democracy 

Nuamah's latest book wins three awards

Sally Nuamah’s latest book, Closed for Democracy: How Mass School Closure Undermines the Citizenship of Black Americans, received three awards from the American Political Science Association: the Dennis Judd Award, the Ralph J. Bunche Award, and the Best Book Award from the race, ethnicity and politics section.

Described as a “rigorous and compelling account of the costs of participation for Black citizens in US democracy,” Nuamah’s second book investigates the 2013 school closings in largely poor, segregated neighborhoods in Chicago and Philadelphia. Early in the process, affected residents mobilized politically to save their schools.

“They basically [became] model citizens, protesting, voting, and attending community meetings at higher rates than any other racial group,” says Nuamah, a political scientist and associate professor of human development and social policy. When their efforts failed to achieve what Nuamah calls “equitable democratic responsiveness,” community members lost their faith in the power of political participation.

“Ultimately, my book reveals that when schools shut down, so too does Black citizens’ access to, and belief in, American democracy,” she says. “They are everything a liberal democracy demands, and yet, democracy is closed to them.”