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Hey yall, so I was having a group discussion with some other black friends of mine from school. Were all from different Areas...Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston and we were talking about culture of black people from different places and we got to sorting regions by black culture anymore importantly their TRAITS and the regions NATIONAL PROMINENCE or importance to black people throughout the country basically we came up with this. If your state is not included its because the black population is small or we don't know about it. Please dont be hurt, INFORM US!
We ordered them from top to bottom in terms of influence and prominence. BUT I WOULD LOVE YOUR OPINION TO SHARE WITH THEM. some regions we just dont know a lot about and would like any input if you could!! Let the bickering begin!
1.
The Chesapeake- DE MD VA DC NC *North Carolina is included because of the progressive nature of the state. Its changing, many whites are moving in and making it feel less southern and that impacts the black people as well. Also many black from the north are coming back down to VA and NC. IT also shares identical demographics with VA and is culturally tied to the Hampton Roads area along the coast. Equal emphadis on college basketball and football. Virginia Tech UVA UMD Howard Hampton NC ATnT UNC DUKE George Washington Morgan State. They've all got athletic tradition in both sorts but in college i guess it leans basketball. This is another group of blacks doing pretty welll for themselves and this groups really is culturally strong between Baltimore and Wilmington NC. Probably the most beach going black people ever. Lots of family in NY MA CT...the far north. Mostly black American with some Nigerian influences in MD DC and VA. Very unique softly southern accent. Tend to wear brighter clothes but somehow less flashy than their counterparts to the North. 20-30% black in the metros.
2.
The Coastal South- SC GA FL These are the true southern black folks.Gullah/Geechee influenced. Fast talking, emphasis on manners, thick accent and almost carribean how 'black' they are. Tend to deviate from mainstream American culture alto. This changes of course in the Atlanta and Miami areas. But yea full of HBCUs in GA and SC. Might have a farm and still be country...had an uncle in sc growing rice peaches and bananas on his farm...wow. 30-50% black in a lot of areas.
3.
The Tristate- NY NJ PA CT: *PA Includes Philly out to Harrisburg/Chester. The rest of PA (Pittsburgh) goes into the midwest *Our school is in CT and we decided as badly as New Haven dudes want to affiliate with NYC there is just so much New Englandness surrounding it and there is no NYC radio stations and it does actually take some time to get to NYC from there...new haven is not included. Bridgeport Stamford and Fairfield county are.
This region is usually a consistent 15% black or so throughout the metros maybe up to 20%. They are deeply invested in basketball an private education. Mostly black American with influences from Jamaican and Puerto Rican culture. Very outspoken, somewhat militant in their black pride. Big into east coast hip hop and like to travel between NYC and Philly with Jersey being the focal point. They live in the densest areas of all black people and there is alto of competition and emphasis on business money and education. Heavy accents. Like to travel up to Martha Vineyard. Not too much into HBCUs.
4.
The Midwest- IL MO MI OH IN: Hardest hit by deindustrialization. Used to be a model of middle class black prosperity stability and upward mobility. Very cold, segregated, and the southern portions of all these states except Michigan have a real redneck vibe black must contend with. These states are 12% black on average with 50% black cities on average. They dress really well out here. Furs top hats, all that type of flashy pimp like stuff when they go out. Younger generation influenced by Drill music. Blacks here tend to be very culturally aware as they are in the plain states. They are similar to those in the lain states but give off a more aggressive vibe probably due to their larger numbers. They are also influenced by The Deep South and the Tri State. For better or for worse these are seen as indicative of the black population and our economic state throughout the country.
5.
The DeepSouth/The Gulf- AL MS. Poverty. The Delta and the blues. Blatant Racism. And hundreds of square miles of 60-70% black areas. That's all us northerners know. Not much fashion or music to be heard of.
6.
ArkLaTex- TX LA AR *Louisiana is here mainly because of the post-Katrina Ties it was forced to developnwith ymhouston and the northern Louisiana ties to Arkansas which sprat it from the typical gulf states of MS and AL. If anything isbshares Delta ties not Gulf. Big, boisterous and encumbered by tremendous poverty. Outside of Dallas and Houston these blacks seem not to be doing so well. These are all states with substantial black populations although they vary quite a bit. High violent crime states with very country black folks. LA and TX also have their own very distinct forms of modern hip hop (Chopped and Screwed and Bounce music). These seem to be very regional based black populations. We didn't know much about them except my friend from Chicago his family is originally from Arkansas and Mississippi. Country as all hell.
7.
The West- CA OR WA NV CO AZ Probably the most integrated of the substantial black populations out there. Many of these black people date inter-racially and have an accent where they say all the R's in word heavily. Kind of southern but different accent wise. They like chill music, party rap music and have a very laid back gangster style when they decide to get gangsta. The black youth out there seem to love living in shiny new subdivisions, smoking weed and getting 'ratchet'. Very likely to have Asian or Mexican friends. These states range from 3-8.5% black...being about 5% on average. Car Centric culture. Appears to be a really laid back lifestyle with not too much focus on advancement like in the tri State. Metro areas About 7% black on average. All black American. Fashion wise prefer tank tops cargo shorts graphic tees and brighter colors. WASHINGTON has a huge Basketball culture. huge.
8.
Southern New England- MA CT RI : *CT Borderline including New Haven, definitely everything North and East of New Haven. Waterbury is included.
This is my home region. These States are 7-11% Black. The Metro areas vary widely from RI to CT. But go from 7% black to 13%. The cities can get up to 45% Black *Brockton, MA/Hartford, CT. The blacks here are 50% immigrants and theyre second generation kids. Many from Cape Verde, Jamaica, Haiti, Brazil, the DR and Nigeria. These foreign blacks tend to create a culture that take elements of traditional New England peppiness and makes them urban. Flashy bold polo shirts and polo hats, clean cut haircuts, North face jackets and occasionally boat shoes. The style is unique and identifiable. The accent also drops all 'R's' and makes most vowel sounds into the 'eh' sound. a/e/i/o/ui....ALL turn into eh. The African Americans found only in CT and MA are very similar to the Tri-state but tend to get along with whites well. Blacks in these areas can be found in extremely dense neighborhoods, the culture includes an emphasis on basketball and community activism. These blacks are lowkey, quite and pretty rude compared to most blacks. Not into state schools or HBCUS. The nexuses of the culture are New Haven and Boston. Pretty Isolated, and heavily carribean influenced, often outnumbered by partially black puerto Ricans and Dominicans 2 or 3 to 1..even more so than in the Tri State. Didnt have significant black populations until the 1990s. Tend to all rent and work almost entirely community oriented jobs or service jobs with an underestimated influence because of the lowkey nature. MANY famous blacks you know are from here,
9.
Appalachia- TN KY WV
The population varies widely from 3-4% black in WV to 17% black in TN. Tjey live in the heart of Klan land. Usually in very country ghettoes in places like Rand, WV or Memphis Tennessee. They have a pretty noticeable impact on black culture and are known. They have funny accents though, but this changes in Western Tennessee where it gets quite black and more Delta influenced. These folk seem to have a lot of relatives in Indiana Ohio and Michigan. Even Pennsylvania, this share a culture with the midwest more so than with the coastal south and Chesapeake to the east and south. Again we did not know much about these black since we have never been to these states and dont know the area.
10.
The North- MN WI : 6% Black states BUt very very different. Wisconsin shares much more in common with the plains states and the Mid west due to proximity most likely. The white legislators and populous seems more prejudiced. Maybe its due to Milwaukee resembling the inner cities of Cleveland or Chicago. While Wisconsin is a middle of the road state itis usually ranked one of the wost states for black people to live. Minnesota on the other hand, although historically has a tiny black population is now one of the fastest groing black populations do primarily to East African immigrants. There is also a strong strong liberal bent in this state tht makes it more open to blacks. Culturally there isnt much to say about these guys since they're not in the spot light. I do know that they make some decent musicians on the low. K-Camp, Rico Love-WI, Prince and Cardo-MN. Minnesota has a burgeoning basketball presence on the collegiate and High School level as do most cold weather black people. ...WASHINGTON.
11.
The Flat Plains- NE KS IA 3-6% black areas. Blacks here are generally forgotten and live in cities or surrounding towns that are 15-25% black. There domains appear to be somewhat run down btu largely suburban. I was told from my Chicago friend these are Black people who were pushed out of the larger and blacker Mid Western states for one reason or the other. There seems to be a high degree of anti black sentiment in these areas amongst whites. Personally I couldnt see myself living out here at all. Needing a car to go everywhere and living under permafrost in the winter. Lots of these blacks have family members that moved out west to California to pursue their dreams, and maybe in Nevada or Arizona right now. They dont seem to be country but their accent is a mix of Mid Western/Upland South with a little bit of that Black California accent. I generally like the black out there as they seem to be racially aware and down to earth. Not living in abject o poverty, not really wealthy, just living.
For 5, is add very "religious", down to earth/humble folks. Towns can get up into the high 90's in terms if Black percentage, with all Black public schools and almost all White private schools around. Those going to college look into schools like Delta State or HBCU's like Mississippi Valley State, Jackson State or Alcorn State. Many with ties to major and even smaller Midwestern cities, especially Chicago.
As for 3, I don't know necessarily about the HBCU thing, as growing up, I knew of several Black people that went to/attended HBCU's(including a sibling of mine), along with others that went to SUNY, NY private and even Big 10 schools.
As for 4, I'd say the cities can range from 20-80%, depending on which city you are looking at. You can find a concentration of highly/mostly Black suburbia in the biggest metros at varying degrees.
A classic premise. Required reading for everyone. Thanks for the insight. I'll be watching the progress of this thread as it gets fleshed out with more input. At least until the haters derail it and the moderators have to kill it.
Having lived in quite a few of the described regions (2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11), I can see where you're coming from, even as a white observer. I'm especially looking forward to input from sisters. As I was reading it, I could only mentally picture black men, and it seems to reflect the male perspective.
A classic premise. Required reading for everyone. Thanks for the insight. I'll be watching the progress of this thread as it gets fleshed out with more input. At least until the haters derail it and the moderators have to kill it.
Having lived in quite a few of the described regions (2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11), I can see where you're coming from, even as a white observer. I'm especially looking forward to input from sisters. As I was reading it, I could only mentally picture black men, and it seems to reflect the male perspective.
In #6 you left out Oklahoma, although that's an anomalous state in several ways. Although it's much like your overall description of the area, blacks in that area are also influenced by the fact that most came there as pioneers out of post-Civil War south, settled a number of all-black boomtowns. At the beginning of the 20th century, Oklahoma blacks were lobbying Congress to make eastern Oklahoma the first black state. There is still a FUBU attitude among many blacks outside OKC.
Very good attempt, btw. As has been mentioned, I hope some worthwhile discussion can be had before the idiots take over.
For 5, is add very "religious", down to earth/humble folks. Towns can get up into the high 90's in terms if Black percentage, with all Black public schools and almost all White private schools around. Those going to college look into schools like Delta State or HBCU's like Mississippi Valley State, Jackson State or Alcorn State. Many with ties to major and even smaller Midwestern cities, especially Chicago.
As for 3, I don't know necessarily about the HBCU thing, as growing up, I knew of several Black people that went to/attended HBCU's(including a sibling of mine), along with others that went to SUNY, NY private and even Big 10 schools.
As for 4, I'd say the cities can range from 20-80%, depending on which city you are looking at. You can find a concentration of highly/mostly Black suburbia in the biggest metros at varying degrees.
Thanks ibforgot about the religious for number 5. I know of MVS and Alcorn state but delta state...that sounds black as ever lmao. And for 4 yea 20 to 80 so I just said 50 Lol. And yes northwest Indiana and southern chicagoland ik are huuuge swaths of black suburbia
In #6 you left out Oklahoma, although that's an anomalous state in several ways. Although it's much like your overall description of the area, blacks in that area are also influenced by the fact that most came there as pioneers out of post-Civil War south, settled a number of all-black boomtowns. At the beginning of the 20th century, Oklahoma blacks were lobbying Congress to make eastern Oklahoma the first black state. There is still a FUBU attitude among many blacks outside OKC.
Very good attempt, btw. As has been mentioned, I hope some worthwhile discussion can be had before the idiots take over.
One thing I've noticed is that black dialects seem to be influenced by geography to a degree as well. As a couple of examples, LL Cool J has that tough New York sound, and Randy Moss has an obvious West Virginia twang.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade
I feel like the flashy dress is evident in KCMO Detroit and Cleveland when stepping out, no? In fact I know it is for Detroit and kcmo
When I think of fur coats and fedora hats, I instantly think of disgraced former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
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