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Tell that to the white conservatives who think we're still in the 1950s, the limousine liberal white yuppies who give the stink eye and cold shoulder to equally successful blacks, and talking-out-of-their-a** Afrocentric militant internet black revolutionary d-bags who shoves down their ideology and groupthink on all other blacks who just want to live their lives.
I see the same thing coming from blacks towards whites, so let's not pretend it's a one-way street. I always say it a matter of percentages (5%-10%) and not race/ethnicity/gender/religion/etc, and chances are within ANY subset there will be 5%-10% of that subset that doesn't mesh well with others.
Unfortunately I find that a lot of people who feel that they are stuck in Pittsburgh think that things are so different in other places until they move there and find out that white people are no more racist than you think they are in Pgh.
You hit the center of the bullseye. And it's not just race relations either; people who feel "stuck" in Pittsburgh seem to think that everything is better elsewhere: jobs, nightlife, fashion, social values, driving skills, recreational outlets, the weather, the future...
And I'm not saying that there are no problems in Pittsburgh, just that it becomes a drag listening to people complain about them all the time, especially if the problems they complain about aren't exclusive to Pittsburgh. Those people expose themselves as naive.
People ask this question in thread after thread and consistently get the same answers regardless of what criteria they are looking for, if you haven't figured out that the obvious answers on C-D are going to be Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, D.C., Charlotte then something is wrong.
I'm totally surprised that after reading this thread that NO ONE has mentioned NYC as one of the best places for black people. Is that a)ignorance b)fear c) both?
The opportunities for an educated middle-class black person here are pretty damn good. No other city comes close because unlike other cities, there are more industries to work in and many of them pay quite handsomely. Black professionals in fields as diverse as the arts, education, finance, law, medicine, media, tech, non-profits, etc keep coming here year after year for those opportunities, but I guess nobody black on C-D believes that's true. Black people who are prepared, educationally and constitutionally, will do very well here. Those that aren't will leave--and many certainly have. But there are thousands of middle- and upper middle-class black people in communities here and in the 'burbs who are doing quite well, thank you, and who aren't afraid to tell their framilies and friends that this could be the place for them -- if they're ready.
The big knock on NYC is the expense of housing here. But that is relative. If you want to live in downtown Manhattan, or the trendy Brooklyn neighborhoods, yes, it's hideously expensive. But widen your view to the other boroughs and the suburbs and you can find housing prices comparable to DC, Chicago, San Fran, even Atlanta. Moreover, you get what you pay for. Being here costs more than, say, PIttsburgh or Charlotte or something. But the diversity, cultural life, amenities, and attractions are unparalleled. Other cities can certainly be good with this stuff. But nobody else is better.
Our four-seasons are a bonus, our crime rate is low and falling, our next mayor will be a sensible progressive, and our schools, which defintely have their problems, are still not nearly as bad as those in Atlanta, DC, Philly, Jacksonville, or Chicago. (If I'd lived in any of those cities I would have gone private with my kids.)
Honestly, I don't think people dissuade African-Americans from coming to NYC for any "pragmatic" reason. I think it's that NYC is just sort of an intense place, and that doesn't work for everyone. Nor should it. But to pretend, as I've seen in this thread, that it doesn't work for ANYBODY (as evidenced by the fact that no one here recommendd NYC as one of the best places black people can live) is simply ludicrous. There are a lot of us who are turned on by the atmosphere and opportunities here -- I've seen it personally many times -- and probably a lot more than most here on C-D think exist.
You' are woefully misinformed and are in dire need of education on this issue. Historically and presently, African Americans have indeed done like other Americans and have migrated to cities where the jobs are. It just so happens that many of those cities also have a plethora of options for socialization and nightlife (e.g., Atlanta, DC), which is important primarily for younger folks of any race but less so for older folks. And in terms of judging a city by how many Blacks live there, that has to do with personal comfort levels and ensuring that a city has enough of a cultural infrastructure if that sort of thing is important to you. It's not about having the most Blacks, but rather enough Blacks from a comfort/cultural perspective.
Even your wholesale dismissing of Detroit in favor of Phoenix doesn't work because in spite of all of its problems, metro Detroit still has some of the best suburbs in the country with good jobs, good schools, etc. Furthermore, while I understand why it was important in years past to come up with such "best cities for Blacks" lists, these days that's going to largely be determined by career field, stage in life (college grad, working professional, retiree), personal preferences, etc. so there are still many reasons why Detroit might rank favorably over Phoenix for a Black person or a person of any race. At this point, such lists are unnecessary IMO.
And I think you are misinformed. Detroit is not all that at all. And as for the jobs....I know folks who have college degrees that were not able to find jobs for months. My one friend just became employed again after being unemployed for over a year and she has not only a Bachelor's degree but a Master's degree as well. So I don't know where all these jobs are that you are referring to but I know they are not in metro Detroit. And if they are here, they want to lowball you with the salary. The suburbs of Detroit are ok. However, if you are looking for a home, please be prepared to pay $200k for a home that was built in the 70s and 80s. Who wants to waste money like that? And as far as I've seen and I have lived in all the counties in this area, the new builds are at least $300K down here. I've been in Michigan all my life and I'm on my way out. I just find more opportunities in different areas and lower costs of living so I can buy a house for the money I'm paying for rent right now.
I would have to say the DC metro area, and Austin, Texas. Both diverse cities of America with a handful of educated professionals of all races.
Austin may be diverse but their African American population is very small. Plus with a small population, there is not much to do. Dallas and Houston are more diverse with Hispanic, Black and White populations being just about equal in both areas.
Austin may be diverse but their African American population is very small. Plus with a small population, there is not much to do. Dallas and Houston are more diverse with Hispanic, Black and White populations being just about equal in both areas.
I think it isn't necessarily about the size, as there may be enough Black folks to where there is a community to network in.
On the flip side, I think the reason why Mutiny mentioned Detroit is because of the size of the Black population and the variation within that Black community/population. While there are Black folks hurting and/or can't make it work for them, some are doing fine/very well. So, it will depend on one's situation/experience.
And I think you are misinformed. Detroit is not all that at all. And as for the jobs....I know folks who have college degrees that were not able to find jobs for months. My one friend just became employed again after being unemployed for over a year and she has not only a Bachelor's degree but a Master's degree as well. So I don't know where all these jobs are that you are referring to but I know they are not in metro Detroit. And if they are here, they want to lowball you with the salary. The suburbs of Detroit are ok. However, if you are looking for a home, please be prepared to pay $200k for a home that was built in the 70s and 80s. Who wants to waste money like that? And as far as I've seen and I have lived in all the counties in this area, the new builds are at least $300K down here. I've been in Michigan all my life and I'm on my way out. I just find more opportunities in different areas and lower costs of living so I can buy a house for the money I'm paying for rent right now.
I'm not misinformed as all, as the main point I was replying to was either completely lost on you (the reasons African Americans move to the cities they do, the importance of having a critical mass of African Americans, etc.) or you deliberately chose to ignore it. And my point regarding Detroit was mainly about the suburbs as I explicitly said "metro Detroit still has some of the best suburbs in the country with good jobs, good schools, etc."
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