A study analyzing the behaviour of African-American state legislators in multiple legislative sessions across five states. The author reveals how responsive political institutions have been to the nation's largest and most historically significant minority group.

It explores the question of how legislators deal with the "duality dilemma" - which requires them to be both responsible legislators and race representatives - and whether agendas should be "deracialized" in order to appeal to a broader constituency. Along with numerous statistical charts illustrating everything from representation on house standing committees to a ranking of the 15 legislative sessions by quartiles of African American political incorporation, a revealing portrait emerges - one that will fuel debate and inform future discussions of the role of African Americans in the political process.