Hey! Some black people do like Boston! (crime, preschool)
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To lovelife11, these comments is coming from a Black male born and raised in Philly, who lived in Boston for 6 years after college.
One thing I have always tried to do in my life is to surround myself with positive things - people, images, whatever. The thing I found while living in Boston is that there were very few positive images of Black people, culture, families. Boston is surprisingly almost 1/4 Black, yet if you leave Roxbury, Mattapan, Dorchester, you will see almost no Black folks during your travels.
If you did grow up in DC then you most likely have been exposed to a significant Black middle and upper class culture. You can find neighborhoods that are 100% Black which are pretty, well-maintained, attractive, and populated by professional Black people living the American dream - mom and dad and kids, decent cars, a home with appreciating value. You can find these areas in Philly, DC, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, etc.
Make your way to Boston and you will not find this type of environment. Although there are definitely professional Blacks in Boston, they are spread out in various areas and do not leave a visible impression or "a Black professional class" existing in Boston. If you tried to live in a majority Black area in Boston you would be limited to lower middle class or poverty stricken areas.
At the time I lived in Boston, only Fort Hill was even close to being that kind of area, and it appeared to me to be as dark, depressing, and run down as any other Roxbury neighborhood.
I absolutely would not want to raise my children in an area without any positivity in terms of Black people, which is ultimately why I left. I want my kids to live next door to Black college professors, surgeons, teachers, IT people, etc.
It's disingenuous to tell Black people they should be happy in Boston and just date whoever, while most White folks in Boston don't socialize with, date, work with, or mingle in any fashion with Black people. Basically you're telling Black people that they should drop their identity in order to fit in to the Boston culture. That's funny considering no one tells White people who move to Atlanta to "stop being White and start dating Black people" so you can fit in better. In fact the opposite happens, and White people in a majority Black city will band together and create an island of their culture (see Alpharetta, for example).
So don't hate Black folks that express surprise and wonder at your being happy in Boston. They may not be able to express themselves perfectly about "why" they feel that way, but I hope I have helped clarify what they may be thinking.
Lol, I get you I think, and this is just a guess on my part, but I think many blacks view Boston as a city that has a white culture. Not that blacks are excluded from that culture, but that for a large urban area blacks don't seem to play a large part in the civic life of the community. Case in point: you almost never see blacks at any major sporting events. I've always found that strange, but it is what it is. In any event Boston is a much better place for all the races than it was in the past.
Yeah I get it, ex. Boston Celtics(homage to Irish heritage). And to be honest, I once thought Boston had a low black population just going by reputation; come to find out, 53% of the city is black, latino, and Asian. The thing about Boston's black population is it's largely non traditional(for the lack of a better word) with about half of them are of Caribbean and African persuasion according to the ancestry listing on C-D.
Lol, I get you I think, and this is just a guess on my part, but I think many blacks view Boston as a city that has a white culture. Not that blacks are excluded from that culture, but that for a large urban area blacks don't seem to play a large part in the civic life of the community. Case in point: you almost never see blacks at any major sporting events. I've always found that strange, but it is what it is. In any event Boston is a much better place for all the races than it was in the past.
Ive had black friends of mine from other states tell me they didnt think black people lived in boston. When i asked why they thought that, they said because if you look at the movies that are set in boston, there are no black people in the movies. Then they went on to say movies like the "departed" and "fighter" dont show that. So since they have never been here they based their assumptions on what they see from hollywood movies. I then explained to them that those 2 movies were based in 1 neighborhood of boston. Hollywood has a lot to do with this i think. You never see boston movies featuring the italian, asian or black communities. I had to google famous black people from boston to get my friends to believe me that blacks do live here. Donna Summer, New edition..they grew up in boston. Turns out my friends didnt even know who donna summer was and they had no idea new edition was from here. Ur right u dont see alot of blacks at the major sporting events, but yet i see black people wearing red sox hats and bruins hats too. But now that i think about it, when i lived in nc..i never really saw any blacks at panthers games either. And there are a lot of black people in charlotte, nc. I wonder why it is that way?
Yeah I get it, ex. Boston Celtics(homage to Irish heritage). And to be honest, I once thought Boston had a low black population just going by reputation; come to find out, 53% of the city is black, latino, and Asian. The thing about Boston's black population is it's largely non traditional(for the lack of a better word) with about half of them are of Caribbean and African persuasion according to the ancestry listing on C-D.
Ur so right. Im telling you...LA has way way fewer black people than Boston. If you left boston and went to la, you would probably say.."where are all the black people?" I was shocked with that, i figured LA would be more diverse, but its not. U really have to look for black people there, same with Arizona. I hd a friend move from Arizona and she went to Boston for tourism, and she said she was shocked, that she had never seen so many black people, not growing up in Arizona.
Then they went on to say movies like the "departed" and "fighter" dont show that. So since they have never been here they based their assumptions on what they see from hollywood movies.
Great movie by the way, and does a great service in another way. Across the U.S. there is an assumption that white people are either wealthy suburbanites or uneducated rural rednecks.
Boston is one of the few American cities that both show and demonstrate that you can have plenty of inner city white neighborhoods.
I loved Boston just because of that. (I'm not from Boston, but I have Irish-American blood that goes back to Detroit).
Which is kind of the opposite of Boston. If I'm white and show any connection whatsoever with Detroit, people will completely dismiss that as being possible. I like the idea of living in a city where you can be white and assume to live in the city limits.
To lovelife11, these comments is coming from a Black male born and raised in Philly, who lived in Boston for 6 years after college.
One thing I have always tried to do in my life is to surround myself with positive things - people, images, whatever. The thing I found while living in Boston is that there were very few positive images of Black people, culture, families. Boston is surprisingly almost 1/4 Black, yet if you leave Roxbury, Mattapan, Dorchester, you will see almost no Black folks during your travels.
If you did grow up in DC then you most likely have been exposed to a significant Black middle and upper class culture. You can find neighborhoods that are 100% Black which are pretty, well-maintained, attractive, and populated by professional Black people living the American dream - mom and dad and kids, decent cars, a home with appreciating value. You can find these areas in Philly, DC, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, etc.
Make your way to Boston and you will not find this type of environment. Although there are definitely professional Blacks in Boston, they are spread out in various areas and do not leave a visible impression or "a Black professional class" existing in Boston. If you tried to live in a majority Black area in Boston you would be limited to lower middle class or poverty stricken areas.
At the time I lived in Boston, only Fort Hill was even close to being that kind of area, and it appeared to me to be as dark, depressing, and run down as any other Roxbury neighborhood.
I absolutely would not want to raise my children in an area without any positivity in terms of Black people, which is ultimately why I left. I want my kids to live next door to Black college professors, surgeons, teachers, IT people, etc.
It's disingenuous to tell Black people they should be happy in Boston and just date whoever, while most White folks in Boston don't socialize with, date, work with, or mingle in any fashion with Black people. Basically you're telling Black people that they should drop their identity in order to fit in to the Boston culture. That's funny considering no one tells White people who move to Atlanta to "stop being White and start dating Black people" so you can fit in better. In fact the opposite happens, and White people in a majority Black city will band together and create an island of their culture (see Alpharetta, for example).
So don't hate Black folks that express surprise and wonder at your being happy in Boston. They may not be able to express themselves perfectly about "why" they feel that way, but I hope I have helped clarify what they may be thinking.
I never said you should drop ur identity. I didnt drop my identity. I like the things that are here. I like the patriots..i like the red sox..and i like the celtics...and i like the festivals and the pubs and i went to a freestyle event the other nite. If you dont like those things..then boston may not be for u.
My parents moved around I have lived in all diff types of environments. I lived overseas for 6 years..ive lived in the ghetto..and in in the suburbs. And no...i didnt live in a nice area near d.c. I see what you are saying though, there are more positive images of black people in d.c. thats true..but the area where i lived there was not. All i saw was drugs and crime...but i didnt let that deter me. I went to college and i am successful.
The reason why u see few positive black images here is because they dont stay here. They move. They go to d.c like u just said. And there are black professionals living in cambridge..sommerville..jamaica plain..these are not poverty areas. I dont live in any of those places u mentioned (roxbury etc..) And i dont hate people..if u r unhappy thats u. Im not. Dont get mad at me cause im happy here and you were not. And i repeat i dont like d.c. Just because im black doesnt mean i have to like d.c.
Great movie by the way, and does a great service in another way. Across the U.S. there is an assumption that white people are either wealthy suburbanites or uneducated rural rednecks.
Boston is one of the few American cities that both show and demonstrate that you can have plenty of inner city white neighborhoods.
I loved Boston just because of that. (I'm not from Boston, but I have Irish-American blood that goes back to Detroit).
Which is kind of the opposite of Boston. If I'm white and show any connection whatsoever with Detroit, people will completely dismiss that as being possible. I like the idea of living in a city where you can be white and assume to live in the city limits.
(I'm also thinking in East Coast/Midwest terms).
And now that u said this, i realize that people say the opposite about detriot, that no white people live there..except eminiem. ofcourse u and i both know that is not true
As a Boston native, who lived there most of my life, but who is now living in a southern state, I see the relativity. The statistics 1 out of 4 are nowhere near what they are here in southern Virginia where I am living now and where 50% of the population is black -- in other words its 50/50, and I know that's not so in Boston.
Most of the people I have come to know here in the south deal very well with unbearably hot temperatures, but are alarmed when they see me going out without a coat on in what they call winter. Most of them have absolutely no interest in moving to a cold climate from where they are now, and usually want to know how anyone can stand northern weather.
So, bottom line, it's all relative to what you are used to or get used to.
--yokie
Yeah from experience..most not all..but most southerners stay in the south. They like their southern lifestyle. I didnt like it...then again i grew up in snow and i like having for seasons. but thats just me
Ive had black friends of mine from other states tell me they didnt think black people lived in boston. When i asked why they thought that, they said because if you look at the movies that are set in boston, there are no black people in the movies. Then they went on to say movies like the "departed" and "fighter" dont show that. So since they have never been here they based their assumptions on what they see from hollywood movies. I then explained to them that those 2 movies were based in 1 neighborhood of boston. Hollywood has a lot to do with this i think. You never see boston movies featuring the italian, asian or black communities. I had to google famous black people from boston to get my friends to believe me that blacks do live here. Donna Summer, New edition..they grew up in boston. Turns out my friends didnt even know who donna summer was and they had no idea new edition was from here. Ur right u dont see alot of blacks at the major sporting events, but yet i see black people wearing red sox hats and bruins hats too. But now that i think about it, when i lived in nc..i never really saw any blacks at panthers games either. And there are a lot of black people in charlotte, nc. I wonder why it is that way?
Yes.....almost every major movie about Boston seems to dwell on Irish culture. Then there are the Kennedys. I can see why blacks around the country would wonder what the heck was going on in BeanTown, lol. The racial problems of the 1970s did a number on Boston's reputation. and until the last several years many black athletes avoided the area & would request not to be traded to Boston. God.....I have not thought of Donna Summer in years. She was big back in the day
To lovelife11, these comments is coming from a Black male born and raised in Philly, who lived in Boston for 6 years after college.
One thing I have always tried to do in my life is to surround myself with positive things - people, images, whatever. The thing I found while living in Boston is that there were very few positive images of Black people, culture, families. Boston is surprisingly almost 1/4 Black, yet if you leave Roxbury, Mattapan, Dorchester, you will see almost no Black folks during your travels.
If you did grow up in DC then you most likely have been exposed to a significant Black middle and upper class culture. You can find neighborhoods that are 100% Black which are pretty, well-maintained, attractive, and populated by professional Black people living the American dream - mom and dad and kids, decent cars, a home with appreciating value. You can find these areas in Philly, DC, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, etc.
Make your way to Boston and you will not find this type of environment. Although there are definitely professional Blacks in Boston, they are spread out in various areas and do not leave a visible impression or "a Black professional class" existing in Boston. If you tried to live in a majority Black area in Boston you would be limited to lower middle class or poverty stricken areas.
At the time I lived in Boston, only Fort Hill was even close to being that kind of area, and it appeared to me to be as dark, depressing, and run down as any other Roxbury neighborhood.
I absolutely would not want to raise my children in an area without any positivity in terms of Black people, which is ultimately why I left. I want my kids to live next door to Black college professors, surgeons, teachers, IT people, etc.
It's disingenuous to tell Black people they should be happy in Boston and just date whoever, while most White folks in Boston don't socialize with, date, work with, or mingle in any fashion with Black people. Basically you're telling Black people that they should drop their identity in order to fit in to the Boston culture. That's funny considering no one tells White people who move to Atlanta to "stop being White and start dating Black people" so you can fit in better. In fact the opposite happens, and White people in a majority Black city will band together and create an island of their culture (see Alpharetta, for example).
So don't hate Black folks that express surprise and wonder at your being happy in Boston. They may not be able to express themselves perfectly about "why" they feel that way, but I hope I have helped clarify what they may be thinking.
This is pretty much exactly what I'm saying. Generalized Boston culture is not predominately or even moderately associated with African American culture, so in that respected it might as well be "Portland." Bostonians are concerned with the Back Bays and the Beacon Hills and that's not going to open up social doors for most African Americans in the Boston area.
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I think, and this is just a guess on my part, but I think many blacks view Boston as a city that has a white culture. Not that blacks are excluded from that culture, but that for a large urban area blacks don't seem to play a large part in the civic life of the community. Case in point: you almost never see blacks at any major sporting events. I've always found that strange, but it is what it is. In any event Boston is a much better place for all the races than it was in the past.
