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Seattle has Black owned radio stations, but what about the other things? Isn't there areas with a notable Black middle class in the cities south of Seattle?
This organization could give an idea of a presence of a Black middle class: Regions
I already live in the Seattle area, and I assure you, the Black middle class has more or less moved on to Tacoma. A lot of the folks mentioned in that link have either moved away altogether or are far less active.
The bottom line is that Seattle is a very white place and people seeking a strong Black middle class would not look in Seattle proper.
I already live in the Seattle area, and I assure you, the Black middle class has more or less moved on to Tacoma. A lot of the folks mentioned in that link have either moved away altogether or are far less active.
The bottom line is that Seattle is a very white place and people seeking a strong Black middle class would not look in Seattle proper.
Tacoma, on the other hand, is definitely emerging. A lot of the black meetups are in the South King County or Tacoma area now.
That is why I asked about the cities south of Seattle like Renton, Kent, Federal Way, etc. I had figured that cities in that part of King County would have some degree of a Black middle class.
What I think helps Tacoma and even other Pierce County communities(Lakewood comes to mind) is the presence of Fort Lewis and McGuire AFB. That is why I find the lack of Black male comment in that article kind of ironic and I believe the area actually has or did have more Black males than Black females in the metro in recent years.
It is also interesting that Jack and Jill was mentioned in the article.
That is why I asked about the cities south of Seattle like Renton, Kent, Federal Way, etc. I had figured that cities in that part of King County would have some degree of a Black middle class.
What I think helps Tacoma and even other Pierce County communities(Lakewood comes to mind) is the presence of Fort Lewis and McGuire AFB. That is why I find the lack of Black male comment in that article kind of ironic and I believe the area actually has or did have more Black males than Black females in the metro in recent years.
It is also interesting that Jack and Jill was mentioned in the article.
If you're from the South, I think it's fair to say that what counts as "a degree of a Black middle class" would be low to middling, at best. One of the issues is the lack of a concerted geographic concentration of Black folks ... until very recently. The migration is largely driven by economic factors:
So, it's difficult to say "yes, there's a Black middle class" when it's so spread out and so many people are getting shuffled around due to economic reasons.
Location: Metro Atlanta (Sandy Springs), by way of Macon, GA
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The worst cities for middle class black people are small-to-medium southern metropolitan cities with very large and very poor populations.
Take here in Macon, for an example. It sucks when your city is over 60% black and still the clubs, bars, and lounges that cater to a more "cultured" (jazz, r&b, neo-soul, conscious hip hop) black crowd never last long because they don't get much business, yet there are a ton of ghetto nightclubs all over the place.
We just made national headlines on all the major hip-hop sites over the last 2 days. There was a show scheduled for the gangsta rapper "Lil Boosie" (not my type of crowd) but he didn't show up. People trashed the establishment and caused all kinds of damage. A few people were even injured. AllHipHop » Lil Boosie Misses Concert Date…Mayhem Ensues
It sucks when that type of crowd makes up 80-85% of the blacks in your city.
There was a videographer/promoter from here, along with a guy I went to high school with, who tried desperately to bring "cultured" black nightlife to Macon a few years go, but it failed miserably. The videographer/promoter finally gave up and moved to Atlanta. When you set a dress code of no athletic gear, baggy jeans, sagging, no baseball caps, there's not enough people left. Sad.
Here's a vid from a couple years ago, and it took the typical turn for them. They tried to make it more cultured than everything else around here for blacks 25-40. Eventually, they eased up on the dress code after crowds got thin, then it quickly turned into a "ghetto" club and is now no longer open.
If you're from the South, I think it's fair to say that what counts as "a degree of a Black middle class" would be low to middling, at best. One of the issues is the lack of a concerted geographic concentration of Black folks ... until very recently. The migration is largely driven by economic factors:
So, it's difficult to say "yes, there's a Black middle class" when it's so spread out and so many people are getting shuffled around due to economic reasons.
It doesn't have to be compared to the South, but if most of the Black people are concentrated from South Seattle into South King County into Tacoma, wouldn't the Black middle class be concentrated there as well? I knew of a concentration in that area in places like Kent, Federal Way and Renton some years ago due to athletes from those cities and knew about the military bases between those cities and Tacoma.
The worst cities for middle class black people are small-to-medium southern metropolitan cities with very large and very poor populations.
Take here in Macon, for an example. It sucks when your city is over 60% black and still the clubs, bars, and lounges that cater to a more "cultured" (jazz, r&b, neo-soul, conscious hip hop) black crowd never last long because they don't get much business, yet there are a ton of ghetto nightclubs all over the place.
We just made national headlines on all the major hip-hop sites over the last 2 days. There was a show scheduled for the gangsta rapper "Lil Boosie" (not my type of crowd) but he didn't show up. People trashed the establishment and caused all kinds of damage. A few people were even injured. AllHipHop » Lil Boosie Misses Concert Date…Mayhem Ensues
It sucks when that type of crowd makes up 80-85% of the blacks in your city.
There was a videographer/promoter from here, along with a guy I went to high school with, who tried desperately to bring "cultured" black nightlife to Macon a few years go, but it failed miserably. The videographer/promoter finally gave up and moved to Atlanta. When you set a dress code of no athletic gear, baggy jeans, sagging, no baseball caps, there's not enough people left. Sad.
Here's a vid from a couple years ago, and it took the typical turn for them. They tried to make it more cultured than everything else around here for blacks 25-40. Eventually, they eased up on the dress code after crowds got thin, then it quickly turned into a "ghetto" club and is now no longer open.
I have several friends that either lived there or grew up there that were black. In addition to being one of the least diverse places in the country with a minuscule black population, I've heard horror stories.
I'd actually like to hear some of these horror stories.
To be frank, I think a black person would be better off in a place that is 90% Hispanic than a place that is 90% non-Hispanic white. Texas most likely has the best Black-Mexican relations in the country. I'm sure there's racism in the RGV, but I'm also sure it's much worse in other parts of the US
I'd actually like to hear some of these horror stories.
To be frank, I think a black person would be better off in a place that is 90% Hispanic than a place that is 90% non-Hispanic white. Texas most likely has the best Black-Mexican relations in the country. I'm sure there's racism in the RGV, but I'm also sure it's much worse in other parts of the US
It doesn't have to be compared to the South, but if most of the Black people are concentrated from South Seattle into South King County into Tacoma, wouldn't the Black middle class be concentrated there as well? I knew of a concentration in that area in places like Kent, Federal Way and Renton some years ago due to athletes from those cities and knew about the military bases between those cities and Tacoma.
Should have said across Tacoma into Lakewood to the military bases and it is McChord AFB.
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