Introduction
Trust is the chicken soup of social life that brings a variety of good things to those that
possess it (Uslaner, 2002). Trust has the capacity and capability of igniting changes in public
policy through solidarity movements and civic engagement activities (Putnam, 1993, 1995,
2000). It has been shown to stimulate the economy and to generate positive feelings about
governmental institutions and performance (Knack and Keefer, 1997, Putnam 2000). And, like
chicken soup, trust appears to work in inexplicable ways.
Decades after the cessation of African American lynchings, the public decry of the
Tuskegee Experiment, and the dawn of the civil rights movement, social life in the United States
continues to be characterized by significant racial discrimination and stratification. This divide
may potentially play a significant role in African Americans’ 1) formation of trust of individuals
of different racial and ethnic groups, which is integral to the formation of social capital and 2)
willingness to cooperate with governmental institutions, which have historically been composed
of individuals of other races at times promulgating discrimination. This study steps outside the
traditional boundaries of racial issues in the research literature to explore levels of trust toward
other ethnic groups and the institution of government within the African American community.
We determine that both individual and community level factors impact trust levels.
Understanding Trust
Trust in other people is based upon a fundamental ethical assumption: that other people
share the same core values (Uslaner, 2002, 2). They may not share the same political ideology or
religious traditions but at some seminal level, there is a common moral fiber. Through this
commonality, a foundational egalitarian philosophy develops that stresses equality, optimism and
acceptance. Where there is a trusting environment, there is also high levels of inclusiveness,
tolerance, acknowledgment and the expansion of opportunities through the opening of free trade
3
Convention