Community Based Organizations and the Development of Political Influence in Immigrant Communities

This thesis sought to identify the role of community-based organizations (CBOs) in the development of political influence of U.S. immigrant communities. To answer this question, this work chronicled the development of the Cuban-American immigrant community in Miami and the Vietnamese-American immigrant community in California throughout the late 20th century. These groups offer a unique case study into the development of post-1965 immigrant communities and provide key insights to better understand the role of local institutions in the development of their political roots in the country. These insights were then directly applied to modern CBOs through the analysis of a series of qualitative interviews to determine these institutions' roles today. Bianco argues that strong community institutions are integral to the successful defense of immigrant communities against social and political marginalization and the development of immigrant political influence.

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