ABSTRACT
Political coalitions require that groups have similar goals, desire similar outcomes, and be willing to pursue their objectives in a collaborative and cooperative fashion. Coalitions may be loosely or tightly organized, and cooperation may be tacit or explicit. The presence of multiple minority groups in major metropolitan cities has led to the assumption that shared racial minority group status generates the potential for political coalitions among the various groups. The coalitions between blacks and Latinos began to break apart when policies designed to promote equal access and equity for different groups were sometimes in conflict. Competition may also arise among the various groups when blacks, Latinos, and Asians each have different goals, when there is distrust or suspicion among the groups, or when the size of one group is such that it no longer needs to form coalitions with other minority groups to gain political success.
