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I think the point is though, if you have to search high and low for one or two places that have a mixed crowd, you know right then the city isn't diverse.
I've been in so many cities in the USA and the Europe. Boston is truly the only place I've ever been like this.
Even in places like... Hunstville AL, has a mix of clubs/bars --> "black" clubs/bars, as well as "white" clubs.
Now I'm not saying it was whites/blacks only, but clearly the target market was geared toward XYZ.
From a business standpoint, I do not believe any nightlife business has a target market toward blacks in downtown. I cannot speak for Dor, Mat or Rox as I haven't been there in years.
An Irish bar playing hip hop or R&B one Tues night isn't what I'm talking about.
Yeah, I don't think you need a "target market" for blacks. You just need a place that attempts to attract a broader demographic. If you go to Bus Boys and Poets in DC, it's always a very mixed crowd. You could be having dinner one night and hear a steady stream of Julie Dexter and Nancy Wilson, Fela Kuti and Tito Rojas another night, Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross another night, and then Amy Winehouse and the Black Keys another night. The whole vibe is just set up to attract a very wide range of individuals.
But then again, you can't really lay all of the blame at the feet of business owners. If the students at Harvard, Tufts, Northeastern, BC, and BU all stuck around Boston, then obviously the scene would be much more diverse. But as soon as they get their degrees, the blacks hightail it for NYC, DC, Chicago and Atlanta and many of the Asians go to the West Coast. Consequently, you don't have a strong minority professional scene in Boston even though there are plenty of minority undergrad and grad students.
Yeah, I don't think you need a "target market" for blacks. You just need a place that attempts to attract a broader demographic. If you go to Bus Boys and Poets in DC, it's always a very mixed crowd. You could be having dinner one night and hear a steady stream of Julie Dexter and Nancy Wilson, Fela Kuti and Tito Rojas another night, Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross another night, and then Amy Winehouse and the Black Keys another night. The whole vibe is just set up to attract a very wide range of individuals.
But then again, you can't really lay all of the blame at the feet of business owners. If the students at Harvard, Tufts, Northeastern, BC, and BU all stuck around Boston, then obviously the scene would be much more diverse. But as soon as they get their degrees, the blacks hightail it for NYC, DC, Chicago and Atlanta and many of the Asians go to the West Coast. Consequently, you don't have a strong minority professional scene in Boston even though there are plenty of minority undergrad and grad students.
I do tend to agree with most of this post. However, when I say target market, I mean from a business plan viewpoint. If you couldn't guess, I have business degrees. Haha, but honestly, when developing a plan every business creates a target market. Age, race, background, salary, etc. That doesn't mean it's ONLY for that group of people. Of course not. But my example I used earlier of an Irish bar playing hip hop on the weekend, isn't part of their target market. It is the bar trying to gain market share from a lack of hip hop in the area.
In other words, even with a target market for XYZ, you can still gain a broader demographic, and most businesses must do that to gain revenue. However, the lack of the target market clearly shows. As I said, I do not believe there are any hip hop/r&B type businesses in the downtown area. Note: I’m not talking about an off night/week day r&B night, nor am I talking about 30 min of hip hop followed by Lady Gaga or some crap.
As far as college student goes... I believe there is a lot to this. For one, Boston has one of the highest amounts of college students in the USA. But, a lot of these students come from money. They might not realize it, but they do. BU, BC, Harvard, etc, these schools cost a significant amount of money in school tuition that their parents often pay. With a lack of diverse establishments in Boston, anyone that is a minority might just get their fancy Boston education and high-tail it to a more diverse area. You listed DC, NYC, ATL, etc. That makes sense. Why would you want to be in an area that clearly doesn't offer you what you're look for?
This all just adds more reasons as to why Boston is labeled as a "white" city.
I do not agree with your comment about not blaming the business owners. As I said earlier, there is a large supply for college students in Boston. However, I do not know what percent of these college kids want more diverse clubs... I'm guessing, just guessing here, that most of the college kids are white (I’m not being racist, whites make the most money on average), and enjoy the top 40 type of music. The reason why I'm saying that is basic supply and demand. If I know there is a "large" untapped market for hip hop in Boston, and I'm a business owner, you bet there would be those clubs opening up to soak up that revenue. It's almost common sense. Ya know?
To say college kids don't stick around after their 4+ years of college, because business owners don't open up diverse clubs... could easily have been said as; business owners don't open up diverse clubs because the market isn't driving that need, and the few who are looking for that type of business leave after college anyway.
As far as college student goes... I believe there is a lot to this. For one, Boston has one of the highest amounts of college students in the USA. But, a lot of these students come from money. They might not realize it, but they do. BU, BC, Harvard, etc, these schools cost a significant amount of money in school tuition that their parents often pay. With a lack of diverse establishments in Boston, anyone that is a minority might just get their fancy Boston education and high-tail it to a more diverse area. You listed DC, NYC, ATL, etc. That makes sense. Why would you want to be in an area that clearly doesn't offer you what you're look for?
We've discussed in other threads about how Boston isn't a party city. And I would think that if parents are paying a lot of money for their children's college education, then of course, they wouldn't want their kids to be going to school in a party city. Why would they want the distractions of a lively nightlife distracting their kids from their studies?
Boston and Cambridge have some of the top universities in the country, this is a serious academic area. Also, the legal drinking age is 21... so not having some amazing AA nightlife is a moot point for their students themselves.
Anyway, Boston is overcrowded as it is, so if a lack of an awesome diverse nightlife makes the minority Boston graduates leave after they complete their studies, then so be it. Boston isn't exactly a ghost town. And we have plenty of smart and well-educated people already living in Boston, so if the recent graduates don't stay, then we're fine.
Also, I think that the amount of diversity, both cultural and racial is perfect in Boston. And if anyone doesn't like it, then they need to move to a city that is a better fit for them.
*Waits for someone to suggest a state or federal funded program to encourage more blacks to move to Boston... giving them zero interest mortgage rates and offering incentives for blacks to open up bars and clubs*
Those Caribbean theme music/dance cruises in Boston Harbor definitely attracted a diverse crowd, but I suppose that person getting murdered after disembarking from one of them a few years back put a damper on their popularity.
Anyway, there is no reason why there couldn't be black bars and clubs in downtown Boston, it just takes a lot of effort and money. However, most of the diverse type people I know just want to be guests at that sort of establishment, but have no interest at all in owning and running them. So as long as the AA crowd wants to just sit back and wait for others to do the work needed to open up some sort of cool black nightclub or bar, then they are going to have to wait a long time for their diverse nightlife. And it's not the same to have non-blacks owning and running that sort of place. Sort of like Asians being hated for opening up convenience shops in the black majority ghettos. They are the only ones willing to take the risk of having a business there, and it's not as if they are preventing any blacks from having their own businesses.
And at work, a young college educated black woman was mocking white owned companies for trying to appeal to a black audience. But I pointed out that at least they were making the effort and that at present, there were black owned companies at present for her to patronize. So better to have any company trying to target the black populace than being ignored by them. And apparently, it's another situation of blacks having that chip on their shoulder, that a white or non-black owned company is criticized no matter what they do. It's damned if you do and damned if you don't...
Anyway, there is no reason why there couldn't be black bars and clubs in downtown Boston, it just takes a lot of effort and money. However, most of the diverse type people I know just want to be guests at that sort of establishment, but have no interest at all in owning and running them. So as long as the AA crowd wants to just sit back and wait for others to do the work needed to open up some sort of cool black nightclub or bar, then they are going to have to wait a long time for their diverse nightlife. And it's not the same to have non-blacks owning and running that sort of place. Sort of like Asians being hated for opening up convenience shops in the black majority ghettos. They are the only ones willing to take the risk of having a business there, and it's not as if they are preventing any blacks from having their own businesses.
A place doesn't have to be black-owned to draw a diverse crowd. That's sort of a red herring, no? In DC, places like Tabaq, 18th Street Lounge, Bus Boys & Poets, Barcode, Marvin, Lost Society, the Beacon, the W Hotel, Policy, Red Line, Clyde's, etc. all attract diverse crowds without being black-owned. And why are you so focused on black people anyway? The question is "Why Is Boston a 'White' City," not "Why Isn't Boston More of a Black City?" You could go out in Boston and also see a complete lack of South Asians and Hispanics in many establishments.
You could go out in Boston and also see a complete lack of South Asians and Hispanics in many establishments.
Your argument here is a bit hollow. You can go out in LA and see a complete lack of Hispanics in many estblishments. You can go out in SF and see a complete lack of Asians in many establishments.
Your argument here is a bit hollow. You can go out in LA and see a complete lack of Hispanics in many estblishments. You can go out in SF and see a complete lack of Asians in many establishments.
That wasn't my point. It's not that Boston is not known for being a particularly good city for just blacks. Many South Asians and Hispanics do not think of it very fondly either. The word "minority" does not equal "African American." Though for many Americans the word does automatically trigger images of black faces. It's probably a different story for many Canadians.
That wasn't my point. It's not that Boston is not known for being a particularly good city for just blacks. Many South Asians and Hispanics do not think of it very fondly either. The word "minority" does not equal "African American." Though for many Americans the word does automatically trigger images of black faces. It's probably a different story for many Canadians.
I'm well aware "minority" doesn't equal "African American". And considering the Asian and Hispanic populations of Boston are growing faster than the white population, I'll have to disagree with you.
I'm well aware "minority" doesn't equal "African American". And considering the Asian and Hispanic populations of Boston are growing faster than the white population, I'll have to disagree with you.
The Asian (note I said South Asian, btw) and Hispanic populations are growing in a lot of cities across the country. That doesn't make them particularly great places for those people, particularly for the professionals that are seeking opportunities for career advancement.
Here's a post that lays out the "whiteness" of major Combined Statistical Areas across the country. As you can see, Boston ranks second behind Minneapolis.
It's no coincidence that places like the Bay Area, NYC, LA, Chicago and Washington, DC tend to be more popular among young professionals of color.
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