Black Conservative Populism: Self-Help Welfare Reform and Resident Management

Popular narratives of mounting opposition to Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) rightly emphasize white voters’ racial resentments alongside the powerful influence of conservative politicians, intellectuals, and right-wing think tanks. However, this paper shifts the focus from the most visible antiwelfare conservatives to a largely overlooked yet influential group: Black female resident management leaders (RMC) who embraced a form of conservative populism that aligned with and deviated from the post-1970s rightward turn in welfare reform. They endorsed reform efforts that bolstered a bipartisan “new consensus” on welfare reform. By the late 1980s, this consensus emphasized work, personal responsibility, and reduced dependency on the state. It minimized the profound effects of the postindustrial economy and austerity measures on low-income people, while placing a stronger emphasis on the claim that an expanded welfare state stifled inner-city Blacks’ capacity for independence and initiative. Yet most RMC leaders opposed the complete dismantling of the welfare state and elimination of a safety net for the poor. Instead, they envisioned a future in which public assistance would become unnecessary in viable, self-sustaining communities governed for and by poor Black residents.