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I like to hear from Black los Angelenos on what it's like out there for Blacks living, playing and working in L.A. I'm east coast dude ( NY-NJ-PA, etc.) so what are the parallels and the differences for Black people to living in the northeast?
One thing you'll definitely notice when you come out here though is that there aren't as many blacks in California anymore as compared to the northeast. A lot of blacks have left the state altogether and have moved back to the south (but then again - blacks have been doing that across the entire country).
The only thing is that California never had access to the underground railroad and as a result, didn't have generations of black Americans like many other regions of the country do (i.e. the midwest and northeast). Black people more or less started to settle in California during the first and second Great Migrations (i.e. after World Wars I and II.)
So when black Americans began leaving California, you already had a small group of people leaving and heading out to other states which in turn is shrinking the black community in California even right now. In the the last census we only made 6% of California, which in turn is about 2 million on a state of 38 million people. It's probably less than that right now.
But for those of us still here... it's alright. I can't see myself leaving at all, I love it too much here.
Living here is fine, make sure you have some money to live amongst a good neighborhood. If you mean around blacks though, there lots of upward and upscale black neighborhoods and communities in the L.A. area.
Playing here is fine, this is the entertainment capital of the world. If you can't find something to do, I literally don't know what to tell you. But if you mean for blacks though (i.e. black owned clubs, entertainment venues etc. etc.) they ARE here so once again... playing here is fine.
But do keep in mind though, once again - it's going to be in a smaller paradigm compared to the northeast. But for the most part it exists out here though.
I think that's it.
Last edited by A.J._in_L.A.; 07-06-2009 at 11:19 AM..
One thing you'll definitely notice when you come out here though is that there aren't as many blacks in California anymore as compared to the northeast. A lot of blacks have left the state altogether and have moved back to the south (but then again - blacks have been doing that across the entire country).
The only thing is that California never had access to the underground railroad and as a result, didn't have generations of black Americans like many other regions of the country do (i.e. the midwest and northeast). Black people more or less started to settle in California during the first and second Great Migrations (i.e. after World Wars I and II.)
So when black Americans began leaving California, you already had a small group of people leaving and heading out to other states which in turn is shrinking the black community in California even right now. In the the last census we only made 6% of California, which in turn is about 2 million on a state of 38 million people. It's probably less than that right now.
But for those of us still here... it's alright. I can't see myself leaving at all, I love it too much here.
Living here is fine, make sure you have some money to live amongst a good neighborhood. If you mean around blacks though, there lots of upward and upscale black neighborhoods and communities in the L.A. area and in the Bay area as well.
Playing here is fine, this is the entertainment capital of the world. If you can't find something to do, I literally don't know what to tell you. But if you mean for blacks though (i.e. black owned clubs, entertainment venues etc. etc.) They ARE here so once again... playing here is fine.
But do keep in mind though, once again - it's going to be in a smaller paradigm compared to the northeast. But for the most part it exists out here though.
you have snobby blacks. humble blacks. bourgie ones. centered ones. young ones. old ones. thug ones. churchy ones.
LA is a place where you can find justabout any community.
LA also has to incorporate immigrants under the black umbrella.
belizeans. ethiopians. jamaicans. dominicans. though they are not US blacks (descended from US slaves) they are still read as black by the world.
its like anyother city. people tend to get along. except in some places where gang violence is more prevalent. but that s got more to do with gang politics than with being black or brown.
I'm a black native Californian. I can't see myself leaving California ever. It's pretty cool out here.
I never understood why many blacks relocated to the South anyway. Most of my views of the South are pretty negative. What's so special about the South?
I'm thinking that the middle or lower class blacks who were in South Central or in the ghetto, they were the ones who left for the South. I guess some middle or upper class blacks relocated to the suburbs like West LA, Orange County, Riverside and San Bernadino counties.
I'm all for California, even though I think it's a shame that some blacks left us behind for the rural South.
Quote:
Originally Posted by A.J._in_L.A.
It's alright.
One thing you'll definitely notice when you come out here though is that there aren't as many blacks in California anymore as compared to the northeast. A lot of blacks have left the state altogether and have moved back to the south (but then again - blacks have been doing that across the entire country).
The only thing is that California never had access to the underground railroad and as a result, didn't have generations of black Americans like many other regions of the country do (i.e. the midwest and northeast). Black people more or less started to settle in California during the first and second Great Migrations (i.e. after World Wars I and II.)
So when black Americans began leaving California, you already had a small group of people leaving and heading out to other states which in turn is shrinking the black community in California even right now. In the the last census we only made 6% of California, which in turn is about 2 million on a state of 38 million people. It's probably less than that right now.
But for those of us still here... it's alright. I can't see myself leaving at all, I love it too much here.
Living here is fine, make sure you have some money to live amongst a good neighborhood. If you mean around blacks though, there lots of upward and upscale black neighborhoods and communities in the L.A. area.
Playing here is fine, this is the entertainment capital of the world. If you can't find something to do, I literally don't know what to tell you. But if you mean for blacks though (i.e. black owned clubs, entertainment venues etc. etc.) they ARE here so once again... playing here is fine.
But do keep in mind though, once again - it's going to be in a smaller paradigm compared to the northeast. But for the most part it exists out here though.
Sorry, but I have to laugh at the title of your post! Lol, lol, lol.
"Educate me on Being Black in L.A"
My family has been here since the late 1800's, as many other black families that came to Los Angeles during that time. You will find many (early) black families buried at Evergreen, but back on topic.
Being Black and living in Los Angeles is the same as living any place else on the planet. You have wealthy Blacks and poor Blacks, and upper middle class Blacks, and lower middle class Blacks, however low income Black folks do not live like I have seen in some cities on the East Coast. Talk about a ghetto!
Most natives enjoy living in Los Angeles and have a long history here. Black folk live all over Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
You have wealthy Blacks and poor Blacks, and upper middle class Blacks, and lower middle class Blacks, however low income Black folks do not live like I have seen in some cities on the East Coast. Talk about a ghetto!
lol, I know what you mean.. I'm from Philly and I moved out to Cali and was there for 7 years in which I made a few friends in Watts and Crenshaw. Well, I was amazed at how nice the neighborhood "in general" was. I mean, the people had homes, palm trees lined the streets and the weather was always nice.
Regardless, you always need to know where you are at because at the drop of a hat things can turn ugly and this is something I never worried about when I grew up in philly. As a matter of fact, I never forgot how big my eyes got when I saw the size of LAPD guns and how openly they displayed them; it just made a point in my mind that Cali is in a whole different league on its own.
I like to hear from Black los Angelenos on what it's like out there for Blacks living, playing and working in L.A. I'm east coast dude ( NY-NJ-PA, etc.) so what are the parallels and the differences for Black people to living in the northeast?
I'm a black male from Philly and I have lived in L.A and other parts of southern California for about 7 years. I'm only responding because for the 7 years that I was out there I have experienced more things than the average person due to the fact that I'm a entrepreneur so I had access to a wide range people and city's.
Well, for starters, the difference is SIZE. In the east coast you can get from point A to point B in just a few minutes as the neighborhoods are more dense and compact where as in LA/Cali things are much more spread out. So you will NEED A CAR!
As far as work, it's the same type of jobs that are available back east except in LA/Cali your coworkers will most likely be Mexican where as in the east they will most likely be Caucasian with the bonus of speaking good English.
The last issue that's noticeable is that LA/Cali people are more liberal and outgoing where as over here in the east people are more reserved. For example in the west I would knock on doors and hand out business cards to all races and colors and there was no issue but over here in the east people are less friendly, they ask if I'm insured, and do I have references which is all fine as these days you should be doing that anyway.
In the end, I moved back east for many reasons but to pick one reason that's on topic it would be the fact that I never felt that there was any one particular city that was filled with a group of people that I could identify with. I lived in city's from LA all the way to OC and none of them gave me the feeling that I belonged there. Conversely, in the east coast there is MORE culture (Indian pow wows, Celtic Festivals) more history and more of a richness in the air that's genuine (from the trees to the deer that run around) because it's not all entirely man made like LA.
This is probably why many blacks return to the south; good home cooking, slow pace and rich landscape is much better then Subway sandwiches, traffic and millions of miles of concrete.
I lived in city's from LA all the way to OC and none of them gave me the feeling that I belonged there. Conversely, in the east coast there is MORE culture (Indian pow wows, Celtic Festivals) more history and more of a richness in the air that's genuine (from the trees to the deer that run around) because it's not all entirely man made like LA.
I disagree with this segment of your post in particular, mainly because I've been to Indian pow-wows here before.
It can be argued that California as a whole as just as much culture, if not more so, and than the east coast.
I'm thinking that the middle or lower class blacks who were in South Central or in the ghetto, they were the ones who left for the South. I guess some middle or upper class blacks relocated to the suburbs like West LA, Orange County, Riverside and San Bernadino counties.
I'm all for California, even though I think it's a shame that some blacks left us behind for the rural South.
Pretty much. This black migration that we have right now has more to do with economics and opportunities as a whole, similar to the first waves of black migrations in the early 1900's.
On top of that, black Americans have followed a pattern that many migrants from elsewhere have done as well. They all gather in one place, stay there for a couple of decades and then when the money is right they all disperse to other areas. It's a cycle.
I love California, but the cold reality of it is that it's one of the most expensive places to live in in the country, hands down. Combine that with the way California treats business to cause them to flee the state and we have a messy situation on our hands. No jobs + no way to pay to live here = people leaving. I have relatives from Watts who've left for other states such as Nevada and Arizona because it's simply cheaper to live out there.
Supposedly there have been blacks who have found opportunities down south, and combined with cultural links to the south all American blacks have they feel at home. More power to them, I can't knock their hustle.
But once again, I love this place too much. I was born here and this is what I know. I'm not gonna leave the state even though we're going through a rough moment right now, I'd rather stay here to try to make things better instead of bailing.
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