Chicago Living for Young Professional African Americans

[treemoni]

Originally Posted by stephei2000

If you stay in the city too long, you might get tainted and forget there are normal AAs and down to earth professionals.

Born and raised in Chicago, an from my perspective "normal AAs" are the opposite of what you've described in this post. I'm from the scary west side, am college educated, have a well-paying job but don't really identify with black professionals...but I'm not into assimilating. You can find yuppie, homogenized African-Americans in any city with a professional class. Many of these so-called "normal" AAs come from places similar to the ones you avoid in Chicago. I think AAs as a whole would do better to build our own communities instead of trying to emulate the communities of those who don't want to integrate with us. JacksonPanther made the truest statement in the thread--that Chicago is made up of people who were born here, whose parents were born here and many of whom won't leave...and I think that's a good thing. I'd hate to see Rahm Emanuel's vision of Chicago be realized. If I wanted to live in Every Other City, USA, I would. Chicago is Chicago because we are not like DC, New York, and Atlanta.

[Atlanta_BD]

Maybe because all of the professional and even working-class blacks that I know are natives and I'm a native myself, my account and perspective will be different. When I lived in Chicago if you met a black person who was an educated professional, they were born and raised in Chicago, went to college in Chicago or somewhere in the state of Illinois or an HBCU. Those I know who went to HBCU's or moved to other cities all ended up moving back to Chicago because they felt in the end that there's no place else like it. I'd never known black professionals who were transplants then, though more and more people have been moving around the country for work in the last decade or so.

As far as neighborhoods in close proximity to work in Rogers Park, I'd also suggest Rogers Park, Evanston or Edgewater, but if you want to live around other BP's, you will have to move further south and have a longer commute, as Chicago is a huge place. Most of the BP's I know live in the South Loop, Hyde Park, Bronzeville or the suburbs.

I'm reading the black transplants on here say that Black Chicagoans or either professional or thugs, but I just never experienced that as a native nor have I experienced that when I visit. There's a clear distinction between the two. I find that there are black professionals, the working class blacks, and then the thugs. In my experience professional and working class blacks interact well because more often than not, many of Chicago's working class blacks are just as intelligent and cultured as the professional ones. I can't say that I ever interacted with black thugs in Chicago or got into any arguments with them. I’ve always been able to have great discussions about current events and social-political issues with other Chicago blacks whether they were professional or working class. Maybe because I didn't live around thugs. All of my family and friends were either cultured professionals or cultured working class people.

While Atlanta is supposed to be this bastion of black professionalism and success, I have encountered more "black thugs" here, and you will find that black professionals here are often very ghetto and sometimes you can't distinguish the educated from the uneducated. In the work place I am often surprised at how some of these people in Atlanta are able to get jobs because they are ghetto. In my experience, in Chicago there is a clear difference and you don't have to interact with thugs unless you live around them or have lots of them in your family. I hear DC’s black professional community really has it together but at the same time everyone only cares about your credentials, accomplishments and what your GS level is if you work for the Feds.

I agree that there can be close-mindedness among certain black people in Chicago, but this isn't a Chicago thing. I think black people in general no matter where they live can be close-minded about certain things, especially if their parents, grandparents or great grandparents were a part of the Southern Migration. I think there is still this overall fear in the general black culture of venturing outside of the familiar or an aversion to try things that aren’t “black,” though I see that changing more and more.

While Atlanta is supposed to be this bastion of black professionalism and success, I have encountered more "black thugs" here, and you will find that black professionals here are often very ghetto and sometimes you can't distinguish the educated from the uneducated. In my experience, in Chicago there is a clear difference and you don't have to interact with thugs unless you live around them or have lots of them in your family.

I agree that there can be a close-mindedness among certain black people in Chicago, but this isn't a Chicago thing. I think black people in general no matter where they live can be close-minded about certain things, especially if their parents, grandparents or great grandparent were apart of the Southern Migration. I think there is still this overall fear in the general black culture of venturing outside of the familiar.

I have one friend who is single black male who lives in Edgewater and he absolutely loves it there. He says it's safe an affordable. The other black professionals I know seem to love where they live and have no complaints. The ones I do hear complain are those who live on the south side, complain about the violence, yet they won't move from the south side. They think Chicago is the problem when it is their neighborhoods that is the problem. My black friends who live in places like Hyde Park and the South Loop or even Evergreen Park are living it up and loving Chicago.

The OP can definitely find his/her place in Chicago as far as being black professional. The main thing is moving where there will be an easy commute first and everything else will fall into place as long as he/she knows what bad areas to avoid.

[treemoni]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

I'm reading the black transplants on here say that Black Chicagoans or either professional or thugs, but I just never experienced that as a native nor have I experienced that when I visit. There's a clear distinction between the two. I find that there are black professionals, the working class blacks, and then the thugs. In my experience professional and working class blacks interact well because more often than not, many of Chicago's working class blacks are just as intelligent and cultured as the professional ones. I can't say that I ever interacted with black thugs in Chicago or got into any arguments with them. I’ve always been able to have great discussions about current events and social-political issues with other Chicago blacks whether they were professional or working class. Maybe because I didn't live around thugs. All of my family and friends were either cultured professionals or cultured working class people.

I agree. I think people forget that Chicago is not a white-collar city, it's a working-class city. Many professional people look down on the working-class because they feel they're better. I don't interact wit thugs either. Being a non-professional does not make you a thug, but I guess I can see how transplants get that view because they are probably not interacting with regular Chicagoans.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by treemoni

I agree. I think people forget that Chicago is not a white-collar city, it's a working-class city. Many professional people look down on the working-class because they feel they're better. I don't interact wit thugs either. Being a non-professional does not make you a thug, but I guess I can see how transplants get that view because they are probably not interacting with regular Chicagoans.

True. In Chicago, working-class and thug are usually not synonymous. I've found that the Chicago "thug types" usually don't want to get a job and sit around begging others for the things they want and need or aspire to sell drugs because they want fast cash without hard work or an education. Again, this is what I saw/see as a Chicago native.