Its sucks being a college educated BLK male in Chicago. (Schaumburg: 2014, crime)

[ptug101]

Im African American Grew up on the southside of chicago,but went to a private
highschool in the southwest burbs which was 80% white. I dealt with some racism,but nothing major just a handful of people and a few jokes. Highschool
was just a waste time in my opinion,really couldnt hangout with anyone because of how the neighborhoods were set up.

Then I went to a really diverse college,and had lots of fun, there were white parties,blk parties, and mixed crowds all to hangout and everybody accepted
everybody with opem arms, the white kids from the middle of the state were all really cool and not elitist even though I figured they would be more conservative then white kids from the chicagoland. The black,white spanish,etc etc ladies were all freindly. The white kids from the north suburban Chicago area seemed ok,but were kind of elitist not just to BLK kids,but to white kids from smalltowns.
The locals were pretty cool as well,Southern Illinois seemed to be an ok Community.

Now that Im back in Chicago,Im not really feeling the love,all the nice spots
like Lincoln Park Lakeview,and Rush/Division,seem to be for only for young white professionals,yes there are Blacks and Hispanics sprinkled around,but people really arent mingling an associating with each other,and I dont want to hangout at Black establishments all the time,because I am a professional and really wanna limit my exposure to the ghetto crowd. I know with BLK flash mob people are becoming more apprehensive to BLK males,which I understand.

but I just want a diverse social scene with college educated and open minding
professionals,but its not here. Chicago is diverse,but segergated.
Wicker park is ok and hipsters seem pretty reasonable,but Im not really into hipster culture.

[skorch101]

Come to Hyde Park - I moved here recently and I'm a white male in my low 30s. I'm have a college education and work in the Loop. I love Hyde Park so far. I've made friends with both black and white people. It's diverse here but "well integrated" and I have yet to see any crime.

[ptug101]

Originally Posted by skorch101

Come to Hyde Park - I moved here recently and I'm a white male in my low 30s. I'm have a college education and work in the Loop. I love Hyde Park so far. I've made friends with both black and white people. It's diverse here but "well integrated" and I have yet to see any crime.

I think you will see crime eventually,but yeah hyde park is a bright spot
but its mostly urbans blks and very liberal whites.

[soulful]

ptug101. I am sorry you aren't finding the right group of folks in Chicago. It's true the city is segregated to a large extent. However, I do know African American professionals living on the northside who are part of social circles that include many whites, etc. I guess it must just be harder to break into the right social group. I wish you all the best and keep trying.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by ptug101

Im African American Grew up on the southside of chicago,but went to a private
highschool in the southwest burbs which was 80% white. I dealt with some racism,but nothing major just a handful of people and a few jokes. Highschool
was just a waste time in my opinion,really couldnt hangout with anyone because of how the neighborhoods were set up.

Then I went to a really diverse college,and had lots of fun, there were white parties,blk parties, and mixed crowds all to hangout and everybody accepted
everybody with opem arms, the white kids from the middle of the state were all really cool and not elitist even though I figured they would be more conservative then white kids from the chicagoland. The black,white spanish,etc etc ladies were all freindly. The white kids from the north suburban Chicago area seemed ok,but were kind of elitist not just to BLK kids,but to white kids from smalltowns.
The locals were pretty cool as well,Southern Illinois seemed to be an ok Community.

Now that Im back in Chicago,Im not really feeling the love,all the nice spots
like Lincoln Park Lakeview,and Rush/Division,seem to be for only for young white professionals,yes there are Blacks and Hispanics sprinkled around,but people really arent mingling an associating with each other,and I dont want to hangout at Black establishments all the time,because I am a professional and really wanna limit my exposure to the ghetto crowd. I know with BLK flash mob people are becoming more apprehensive to BLK males,which I understand.

but I just want a diverse social scene with college educated and open minding
professionals,but its not here. Chicago is diverse,but segergated.
Wicker park is ok and hipsters seem pretty reasonable,but Im not really into hipster culture.

This is a great post. You know the funny thing is is that cities in regions that have a stereotype of being segregated and conservative, when you actually explore those areas you find sometimes the total opposite.

I am typing this from a motel room in Springdale, OH, a Cincinnati suburb about 20 miles directly north of the downtown. Cincy has a reputation for semi-southern racial segregation, with a race riot that occurred back in 2001. But I just drove down a neighborhoods street composed of nice split level houses (built in the 70s I'm guessing) and I see white homeowners talking to their black neighborhoods, white kids hanging out with black kids walking down the sidewalk.

I also noticed this went I've been to the Detroit area. Despite the fact that as a whole the metro area seems segregated, with 82% black in the city, the few areas in the city that are "hot spots" like Midtown where the museums and Wayne State are, the young adults are more mixed, than most young adults in most hot spot Chicago neighborhoods. This also goes for a major suburb to the northwest called Southfield. (Think Schaumburg, but 2/3 black).

Atlanta I've noticed is also integrated, with LOTS of white collared black professionals. In areas like ATL, you may have some old timer from back when ATL was small, who says some shockingly racist comment, but by and large you see all kinds of nice neighborhoods with upscale black crowds mingling with white people.

Chicagos the opposite, you will NEVER hear someway say something that is openly racist (well relative to other parts of the country) but for some strange reason, most white people don't have any or many black friends.

[sydbarrett]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

Chicagos the opposite, you will NEVER hear someway say something that is openly racist (well relative to other parts of the country)

That is a lie. I have been called a cracker to my face.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by ptug101

Im African American Grew up on the southside of chicago,but went to a private
highschool in the southwest burbs which was 80% white. I dealt with some racism,but nothing major just a handful of people and a few jokes. Highschool
was just a waste time in my opinion,really couldnt hangout with anyone because of how the neighborhoods were set up.

Then I went to a really diverse college,and had lots of fun, there were white parties,blk parties, and mixed crowds all to hangout and everybody accepted
everybody with opem arms, the white kids from the middle of the state were all really cool and not elitist even though I figured they would be more conservative then white kids from the chicagoland. The black,white spanish,etc etc ladies were all freindly. The white kids from the north suburban Chicago area seemed ok,but were kind of elitist not just to BLK kids,but to white kids from smalltowns.
The locals were pretty cool as well,Southern Illinois seemed to be an ok Community.

Now that Im back in Chicago,Im not really feeling the love,all the nice spots
like Lincoln Park Lakeview,and Rush/Division,seem to be for only for young white professionals,yes there are Blacks and Hispanics sprinkled around,but people really arent mingling an associating with each other,and I dont want to hangout at Black establishments all the time,because I am a professional and really wanna limit my exposure to the ghetto crowd. I know with BLK flash mob people are becoming more apprehensive to BLK males,which I understand.

but I just want a diverse social scene with college educated and open minding
professionals,but its not here. Chicago is diverse,but segergated.
Wicker park is ok and hipsters seem pretty reasonable,but Im not really into hipster culture.

In Lakeview and Lincoln Park, it's the "professional" part of "white professional" that's most important. If you find you have similar interests and values as the Lincoln Park/Lakeview crowd, your skin color won't matter much beyond the novelty factor. It's understandable if you don't want to be the token black guy at the bar or social gathering or whatever. But someone has to be if the "no mingling" tendency you're complaining about is to change. As for the wariness of black males in white north-side neighborhoods, it will go some way toward easing people's anxieties if you don't dress like you just got done filming a rap video.

[el77]

Who cares about race. Jusy the company the company.

[ptug101]

Originally Posted by Drover

In Lakeview and Lincoln Park, it's the "professional" part of "white professional" that's most important. If you find you have similar interests and values as the Lincoln Park/Lakeview crowd, your skin color won't matter much beyond the novelty factor. It's understandable if you don't want to be the token black guy at the bar or social gathering or whatever. But someone has to be if the "no mingling" tendency you're complaining about is to change. As for the wariness of black males in white north-side neighborhoods, it will go some way toward easing people's anxieties if you don't dress like you just got done filming a rap video.

Im not accusing people in LP of being racist,but they do seem
to be very elitist and cliquish its hard to break in, the crowds on rush/division seem similiars, but more diverse.

when I was in Miami and Denver,everybody seemed so much freindlier
you would see groups that consist of a blk guy a white guy and a spanish guy.
and BLKs and spanish people seemed to get alone better.

NY seemed more racially unified,people in lower Mannhattan
seemed to care more about class and education than race.
but my brother who is very urban and kind of ghetto did not fit
in and hung out in harlem when we were there,but NY is too crowded
and way to expensive.

Miami is cool,but the lifestyle is too fast,the woman are even too fast for me
I mean being a pornstar is a legit profession to some of those chicks great place to visit but to fast to live.

Im gonna check out Austin,TX and the Bay Area

[anoroc]

If you're into the art scene you may want to check these out.

events « threepeas

17th Annual Black Harvest International Festival of Film and Video | siskelfilmcenter.org

Mods I hope this is not advertising, if so feel free to remove.