Over the course of the semester, I’ve really been fascinated by the position of the black middle class. Being the more-privileged side of a marginalized group struggling with social issues presents some very difficult challenges for the black middle class.<\/p>\n
One on hand, there is the DuBoisian (thanks Khytie for clarifying that this indeed is a real term!) idea that the most “talented” of the black community should strive to lift up the struggling masses. One could argue that DuBois was more referring to intellectuals, rather than the middle class. Still, though, DuBois gives a strong push for black solidarity, saying that the black community should stay together, preserve the race, and succeed in a unique, black way that isn’t just assimilation into the white community. One could assume that this ideal would require the black middle class to stay actively involved with the rest of the black community.<\/p>\n
Yet, given Black Picket Fences, as well as the article Khytie posted, it can also seem that keeping ties with those with more disadvantage can be a huge problem for the black middle class. As Pattillo explains, keeping ties with people who are involved with gang activity, drugs, etc. is a huge risk to the social mobility of middle class members. Bouie in his article cites a lot of compelling evidence about how growing up in a neighborhood that experiences poverty can have very negative effects on social mobility.<\/p>\n
So what is the black middle class to do? When thinking about social mobility, the best thing to do might be to move far away from the black lower class. There is a strong sense from Pattillo and the posted article that growing up around poverty is a huge risk, so it might make sense to just get as far away from poverty as possible. But what about the DuBoisian ideal? If the black middle class is able break free from these impoverished neighborhoods, are they abandoning the black lower class? Frazier seems to think so, implying that the black middle class is abandoning their roots and just trying to act like white people. How does the black middle class balance the evidence that living amongst poverty is bad for social mobility, yet also take leadership of the black community? Is the black middle class even obligated to take leadership of the black community?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Over the course of the semester, I’ve really been fascinated by the position of the black middle class. Being the more-privileged side of a marginalized group struggling with social issues presents some very difficult challenges for the black middle class. One on hand, there is the DuBoisian (thanks Khytie for clarifying that this indeed is … Continue reading Black Middle Class – DuBoisian Obligations vs Data of Social Mobility<\/span>