Michael K. Fauntroy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael K. Fauntroy
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Fauntroy in 2010
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Michael K. Fauntroy is an American political scientist. This means he studies how governments work and how people make political decisions. He used to be a professor at Howard University. There, he also helped lead the political science department. In 2018, he became the acting director of the Ronald W. Walters Leadership and Public Policy Center at Howard University.
Mr. Fauntroy studies important topics like African American politics, how different groups try to influence government, and how American political parties work. In 2021, he started a new job at George Mason University, where he had taught for 11 years before joining Howard. He has written books about how Washington, D.C. tries to govern itself and about the relationship between African American voters and the Republican Party.
Contents
Michael Fauntroy's Education and Career
Learning and Teaching Journey
Michael Fauntroy went to Hampton University and earned a bachelor's degree in political science. He then continued his studies at Howard University. There, he received a master's degree in Public Affairs and later a PhD in political science. His advanced studies focused on how the American government works and how African Americans participate in politics.
From 1993 to 1996, Mr. Fauntroy worked as a Civil Rights Analyst at The United States Commission on Civil Rights. This group works to protect the rights of all Americans. Between 1998 and 2001, he taught at several universities, including American University, The University of the District of Columbia, Trinity College, and Howard University. During these years, he also worked as an analyst at The Congressional Research Service. This service provides information to members of Congress. In 2002, Mr. Fauntroy joined the faculty at George Mason University. He later moved to Howard University in 2013.
Key Research and Books
Understanding Washington, D.C.'s Government
Michael Fauntroy has written several important academic books. In 2003, he published Home Rule or House Rule? Congress and the Erosion of Local Governance in the District of Columbia. In this book, he explores the challenges Washington, D.C., faces in governing itself. Washington, D.C., is unique because the United States Congress has control over it. This means D.C. doesn't have full voting representation in Congress.
Fauntroy explains that D.C.'s ability to govern itself has been weakened. This is often because of political disagreements within the federal government. He also points out times when members of Congress from nearby areas have used their power in ways that hurt D.C. Fauntroy suggests that sometimes these actions were influenced by racial prejudice.
Republicans and the Black Vote: A Historical Look
In 2007, Fauntroy published Republicans and the Black Vote. This book looks at how the Republican Party went from having strong support among African Americans during The Reconstruction era to very little support in the 21st century.
The book traces the history of the relationship between the Republican Party and African American voters. It covers the party's beginnings, the New Deal era, and up to the early 2000s. Fauntroy focuses especially on the four decades starting around 1970. He shows that African American voters began to strongly reject the Republican Party around 1964. This was when Barry Goldwater ran for president and the two main American parties became more clearly different in their ideas.
Fauntroy explains that the shift of African Americans away from the Republican Party happened for two main reasons. First, the Republican Party's policies became different from what many African American voters cared about. Second, the Republican Party sometimes used symbols and language in campaigns that were seen as racially insensitive. So, Fauntroy believes that both the party's policies and its political strategies led to the very low support for Republicans among African American voters. Republicans and the Black Vote was recognized as a finalist for the Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Award in 2007.
Media Appearances and Family Connections
Mr. Fauntroy's work has been mentioned or he has been interviewed by major news outlets. These include The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, and Newshub. He has also appeared often on TV channels like C-SPAN and CTV News. For over a decade, starting in 2006, Fauntroy wrote many articles for HuffPost. Interestingly, the Civil Rights leader and former delegate to the United States House of Representatives, Walter Fauntroy, is Michael Fauntroy's uncle.
Selected Books by Michael Fauntroy
- Home Rule or House Rule? Congress and the Erosion of Local Governance in the District of Columbia (2003)
- Republicans and the Black Vote (2007)
