The Bourgie Blues
As middle-class black parents – and their children – journey back and forth across the color line, how do they keep their footing on either side? The answer lies in the parents' tendency to emphasize meaningful connections to other black people just like themselves, whether they live close by, or miles across the city. As Lacy explained it to me, the black world is composed not only of social spaces and residential spaces – locations defined by a geography of relationships – but also of ideological spaces where black people share black cultural, educational and religious relationships.
"A lot of thought and effort goes into nurturing black identities in the suburbs," Lacy said. "As much as middle-class blacks benefited from and value integration, there is also a sense that something special can be lost in the process – the bond with other blacks, the sense of community, and the shared culture that comes with living, working, worshipping, shopping, partying, and going to school with other blacks."
If they don't live it, middle-class black parents are willing to spend whatever it costs and go where ever necessary to find it. Ephemeral or real, racial pride is never too expensive nor too far away for us to promise it to our children.
Sam Fulwood III is writer at the Cleveland Plain Dealer and teaches at Case Western Reserve University.
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The Bourgie Blues
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View All Comments »citizen477 at 09/04/2008 5:00:40 PM
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Another poster claims to not understand the need to "live black". I don't understand how the poster doesn't understand that. Almost every country on this planet has ethnic groups that stick together, but just as easily interact with other groups when that needs to happen. What's wrong with that? Here, in Miami, I live in predominantly Black Miami Gardens. I'm not wealthy. I'm just a single, 30-somethin' with a regular 9-5', but compared to some of my neighbors, I have some financial freedom to live in so-called "better" neighborhoods like Aventura, Coral Gables and so on, but you know what? Why would I? My neighborhood's safe, the rent's inexpensive, and shopping for organic foods and patronizing all sorts of good restaurants and so on are quite within reach. I feel more comfortable being around Black folk from the diaspora. Sometimes little things get on my nerves, but I suspect that that would be the same eslewhere, but just a diffrent "little things".
kreicken at 02/22/2008 11:18:20 PM
Comment:
This sentence doesn't make sense:
Could this be a source of the frisson making intelligent conversation about class-based distinctions among black folks so awkward and uncomfortable?
Frisson means "thrill," or "pleasurable shudder." Try inserting either of those locutions and then see what sort of flapdoodle's in your bucket.
kreicken at 02/22/2008 11:16:41 PM
Comment:
This sentence doesn't make sense:
Could this be a source of the frisson making intelligent conversation about class-based distinctions among black folks so awkward and uncomfortable?
Frisson means "thrill" or "pleasurable shudder." Try inserting that locution in its place and see what sort of flapdoodle's in your bucket.