Which Northeast city would be best for a black middle class family? (live, state)
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Yeah, New Rochelle and Westchester County in general is quite pricy. You may have parts of Mount Vernon and Yonkers that are relatively more affordable. Perhaps White Plains as well. You also have villages such as Ossining and Elmsford that could appeal to some people.
Unfortunately, I don’t know too much about New Haven, but I do find it’s outer West Side neighborhoods to be interesting, as they have a good sized black middle class presence. I know that Hamden is a suburb with a generally middle class black population.
Yeah CT looks to be dominated by Caribbean and Afro-Latino culture rather than African American culture. I have nothing against Dominicans but the ones who I came in contact with are pretty racist and denied their blackness even though they’re darker than I am. Relationships between Dominicans and Blacks is dicey from what I know; the complete opposite between AA’s and Black Ricans.
Yeah CT looks to be dominated by Caribbean and Afro-Latino culture rather than African American culture. I have nothing against Dominicans but the ones who I came in contact with are pretty racist and denied their blackness even though they’re darker than I am. Relationships between Dominicans and Blacks is dicey from what I know; the complete opposite between AA’s and Black Ricans.
CT is pretty African American and Rican. Not that many Dominicans. Good number of Haitians and a few Cape Verdeans and black Guyanese. Tons of Jamaicans in the Hartford area but also a good number in New Haven.
Never had any problem with Dominicans. That seems like NYC beef, I don’t know what y’all would be beefing about. What is the conflict? I saw some video a year ago of Dominicans telling some black people to take the protest out of dyckman or something because they didn’t want to have their businesses vandalized- I don’t have a problem with that. It wasn’t an unfounded request: but…yea like what is the issue you have with Dominicans and do you have Dominican friends or grow up with Dominicans?
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 04-30-2022 at 11:10 AM..
Black people want these other cultures sto to relinquish their cultures and identities and it's just not gonna happen. Rarely do I ever run into a CV or Dominican on some "im not black" ish.. but they don't identify as "Black" because to them that means African American. That's why you hear that same thing amongst Nigerians, Somalians, Haitians etc.
That left little room for her to explain or even fully grasp her own background. Her Puerto Rican mother presented as white, and her father was a Black man with Caribbean ancestry. She didn’t fit perceptions of what people thought a Latino or Black person should be.
'It's up to us now to educate and keep having these conversations and letting people know the truth about who we are.'
Nelson German, chef and restaurateur It wasn’t until she left California for Boston to attend Harvard College that she encountered a significant Afro Latino population.
“When I was a kid and could pronounce things in Spanish, Latino folks, particularly Mexican American folks, were sort of shocked,” de Leon said. “Being in the Northeast, I was like, ‘Oh, wow, look at this — these are Black people speaking Spanish to each other, and nobody's, like, taking their picture. It's not like an unusual thing.’”
I understand the cultural context in the DR but virtually every young Dominican I meet tries extra hard to align themselves with their blackness and address anti-blackness within the DR. But in reality? I see blatant colorism and more covert anti-blackness amongst virtually every black group/country in the world save for Zimbabwe.
CT is pretty African American and Rican. Not that many Dominicans. Good number of Haitians and a few Cape Verdeans and black Guyanese. Tons of Jamaicans in the Hartford area but also a good number in New Haven.
Never had any problem with Dominicans. That seems like NYC beef, I don’t know what y’all would be beefing about. What is the conflict? I saw some video a year ago of Dominicans telling some black people to take the protest out of dyckman or something because they didn’t want to have their businesses vandalized- I don’t have a problem with that. It wasn’t an unfounded request: but…yea like what is the issue you have with Dominicans and do you have Dominican friends or grow up with Dominicans?
Was talking with a a Dominican girl back in HS tried dating her and stuff. Long story short I met her grand father and he was on that “I’m not black I’m Dominican” tip. Her mother also seemed to be in that vibe a little bit too. Maybe it’s a generation thing that’s slowly being phased out since Afro Latinos are learning to embrace their blackness.
Maybe I caught him on a bad day idk but the mother gave off that racist vibe she wouldn’t speak or be cordial with me. You can just feel when someone doesn’t vibe with you because of your race you know what I mean? Idk if it’s the negative stereotypes attached to AA’s that make some of them wanna disassociate with black in general or what.
CT is pretty African American and Rican. Not that many Dominicans. Good number of Haitians and a few Cape Verdeans and black Guyanese. Tons of Jamaicans in the Hartford area but also a good number in New Haven.
Never had any problem with Dominicans. That seems like NYC beef, I don’t know what y’all would be beefing about. What is the conflict? I saw some video a year ago of Dominicans telling some black people to take the protest out of dyckman or something because they didn’t want to have their businesses vandalized- I don’t have a problem with that. It wasn’t an unfounded request: but…yea like what is the issue you have with Dominicans and do you have Dominican friends or grow up with Dominicans?
So CTs black demographics is more like Philly then NY or Bostons? We have Jamaicans and Africans in West Philly. Lots of Haitians here up in Cheltenham- I mean a lot . Most of them were already here prior to the 2010 earthquake
Was talking with a a Dominican girl back in HS tried dating her and stuff. Long story short I met her grand father and he was on that “I’m not black I’m Dominican” tip. Her mother also seemed to be in that vibe a little bit too. Maybe it’s a generation thing that’s slowly being phased out since Afro Latinos are learning to embrace their blackness.
Maybe I caught him on a bad day idk but the mother gave off that racist vibe she wouldn’t speak or be cordial with me. You can just feel when someone doesn’t vibe with you because of your race you know what I mean? Idk if it’s the negative stereotypes attached to AA’s that make some of them wanna disassociate with black in general or what.
I know what you mean and it definitely is a generational thing. I expect grandad to be that way because they sort of felt they "HAD" to in order to survive in America and in the world in general when he was young. He was tryna pass, he was tryna not get the brunt of the discrimination. He prolly felt he had to pick sides. He picked a side.
I used to see black date Latinos all the time, still do It's not perfect because it is a different culture but I'm really do not get the energy I get from white people or even Mexican Americans and white Latinos from them. Usually, it's all good so it's not surprising your girl was down to date you, the vibe was kinda there from mom but granddad was like I'm not black.
Cape Verde is not Africa, Cape Verdeans are “special blacks” and the closest to Portugal. Cape Verde is the country of miscegenation, the “proof” of “racial harmony” of Luso-Tropicalism. For many years, this was the dominant narrative. To be or not to be African continues to be a question.
Jorge Andrade only speaks creole. He can speak Portuguese but uses the Cape Verdean language as the communication tool to affirm his Africanity and mark the distance from the colonial past. “Creole is a weapon of intervention”, he explains in the studio of Rádio de Cabo Verde, where he runs the only radio programme that talks about African questions. “Our capacity to understand, communicate, think, dream is all in creole. People feel free talking in creole and feel oppressed speaking the language of the colonizers.”
A Cape Verdean friend of mine from Roxbury was the one who got me my current job and went to bat for me in my recommendation. Shes in every black women's group on line there is to be in. My interview process was with a Black Dominican women in HR. My last boss in Boston was a Cape Verdean woman- all of them stood frim in their blackness 100%. Bu people want AAs to respect their differences and respect and recognize their culture. At least that's what I've been told. They don't want to be forced to downplay their CV or DRness. If they're crapping on AAs its behind closed doors otherwise I wouldnt be typing this.
"There is no reason to separate the two; my politics are my philosophy in action. Coming from a Black, working-class immigrant family, I knew early that our economic system was extractive and only benefited a small group of people."
Shes not running from her being black... neither is the light skin one.
So CTs black demographics is more like Philly then NY or Bostons? We have Jamaicans and Africans in West Philly. Lots of Haitians here up in Cheltenham- I mean a lot . Most of them were already here prior to the 2010 earthquake
Kind of, its a hybrid. It's its own thing. CT really doesn't have many West Africans or smaller West Indian groups like NYC. Definitely more similar to Philly than NYC because NYC is more Dominican than Rican. And predominately West Indian.
It has some Ghanians but that's kind of spillover from the Worcester area, not NYC. Most Ghanaians in CT live east of the Connecticut River in like East Hartford or Glastonbury or whatever. Remember Worcesters MSA dips into Eastern CT and Worcester is the most Ghanaian City in the country.
But then you have Cape Verdeans from CT like Ryan Gomes. Waterbury and Bridgeport and Norwich/ New London. Bridgeport actually has a 35 year old Cape Verdean festival much like Providence, Boston doesn't even have one. Horace Silver and Charles Smith (former NBA player) are CV's from CT. Far fewer of them than in RI and MA but literally 5x more than NY and 4x more than NJ.
Haitians in CT seem concentrated in Stamford Stratford and Norwalk. Also remember Western Massachusetts is more just African American (albeit small) with few Jamaicans and no Haitians Just some West Africans in Amherst due to the colleges (s/o James Ihedigbo and Kofi Kingston).
How is Buffalo for black people in general? I’m looking at it and it’s constantly ranked amongst the more affordable “big” cities list.
Yes, it is arguably the most affordable bigger metro in the region along with Pittsburgh. It has its issues, but I would say that the representation is definitely there(black mayor, council president, school superintendent, etc).
There are multiple good school options within the city at the public(magnet), charter and private levels, but there are some not so good. City Honors is a very highly regarded magnet school in the city and is arguably one of the best high schools in NY State. other good high school options would be Hutch Tech(public/magnet), DiVinci(public), Olmsted(public/magnet), Arts High(public/magnet), Health Sciences(charter, good Football co-op with Maritime and Basketball teams, same black head coach for both), Tapestry(charter), CSAT(charter, on the city line), WNY Maritime(charter), Canisius(all male Catholic), Bishop Timon-St. Jude(all male Catholic, known for good Basketball team, has black head coach), Nichols School(private), Mount St. Mary's(all female Catholic) and Nardin(all girls Catholic). Some black families in the city may go with other private schools like Cardinal O'Hara in Tonawanda(co-ed, known for its very good Women's Basketball program), St. Joseph's in Kenmore(all male), The Park School in Snyder(Amherst, co-ed) and St. Francis in Athol Springs(all male).
As mentioned before, the upper NE corner of the city on both sides of Main Street has a substantial black middle class presence from around Hamlin Park(east of Main)/Parkside(west of Main) up to the city line near University at Buffalo's South Campus. Some may live in say Elmwood Village, North Buffalo, Allentown, Linwood and even Downtown.
For suburbs, Amherst; particularly in the Eggertsville(cdp)(mainly Amherst Central SD(about 15% black enrollment), but also Sweet Home SD), north of there into the Sweet Home SD(about 22% black) and even into the highly regarded Williamsville SD(more in its southern portion zoned for Will. South HS, is one town that many middle class black families go with.
Another town is Cheektowaga; particularly in the Cleveland Hill community/SD(about 33% black), the Pine Hill area/Cheektowaga Central SD(about 33% black), the Maryvale SD(about 13% black) in the northeast corner of the town near the airport and even into other parts of the town served by school districts such as Cheektowaga-Sloan, West Seneca, Lancaster and Depew.
Some have also moved into the town of Tonawanda/Kenmore-Tonawanda SD. Kenmore is a very population dense village of about 15,000 or so in just 1.4 square miles and has seen an increase in black population. It would be a good choice in terms of proximity and direct routes to popular business districts like Elmwood Avenue and Hertel Avenue. Kenmore West HS has more black students than Kenmore East historically.
Lackawanna is a steel town that has a long time and visible(about 10-11%) black population generally concentrated on its West Side/First Ward, which also has Yemeni/Arab(current ward rep is an Arab woman and was a black man previously) and Puerto Rican communities.
May see some black families scattered in suburbs like Orchard Park, Hamburg, Clarence and Grand Island.
It is an area with plenty of black owned/based media like the Criterion and Challenger newspapers; radio stations such as WUFO(black woman owned), WBLK(#1 in ratings right now), WWWS and a couple of others and black owned businesses will be concentrated on streets such as Michigan Avenue, Jefferson Avenue, Bailey Avenue, Broadway and Main Street, with some on Hertel and more African immigrant/refugee based businesses on the West Side. Check out That Brown Bag, which is a site for black owned businesses in the area.
Delaware Park is a big park within the city and is where the zoo is located. You have Niagara Falls only about 30 minutes away(if that). Toronto is about an hour and a half/2 hours away. Rochester is an hour away. Syracuse is about 2 hours away. The Finger Lakes and its wineries, etc. are within an hour/hour and a half. There are lakeside beaches here n the area. Six Flags Darien Lake is about 35 minutes away or so. You have Bills, Sabres, University at Buffalo, Canisius and other pro or Division 1 sports.
Plenty of shows, festivals(Juneteenth, etc.), parks, history and more.
As mentioned earlier in the thread, its black population is 5th among Northeastern cities and is a little over 100k and it is about 38-39% black(alone/in combo).
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 04-30-2022 at 01:02 PM..
CT is pretty African American and Rican. Not that many Dominicans. Good number of Haitians and a few Cape Verdeans and black Guyanese. Tons of Jamaicans in the Hartford area but also a good number in New Haven.
Never had any problem with Dominicans. That seems like NYC beef, I don’t know what y’all would be beefing about. What is the conflict? I saw some video a year ago of Dominicans telling some black people to take the protest out of dyckman or something because they didn’t want to have their businesses vandalized- I don’t have a problem with that. It wasn’t an unfounded request: but…yea like what is the issue you have with Dominicans and do you have Dominican friends or grow up with Dominicans?
Keep in mind Boston/New England has the highest amount of Latino folks identifying as Black than any other region in the US, including in NYC. There's also a less segregation between Dominicans and Hispanics and Black groups in New England than in the Mid Atlantic and South. I think it would going wayyy off topic to really delve into the Dominican vs. "black" issue but yeah what AshbyQuin is saying is quite common. That issue in Dyckman was a little deeper/complex than that: you had armed Dominicans clashing with/chasing out blacks in Upper Manhattan /gang related stuff/attempted looting etc. The Dominicans got quiet after certain folks in Brooklyn came up to talk to them.
Generally speaking, most Dominicans do not identify as black either in the US or in DR. They have longstanding conflicts with other black groups whether African American or Caribbean. This however. has been changing in the last ten years particularly among American born Dominicans and with social media.
Keep in mind Boston/New England has the highest amount of Latino folks identifying as Black than any other region in the US, including in NYC. There's also a less segregation between Dominicans and Hispanics and Black groups in New England than in the Mid Atlantic and South. I think it would going wayyy off topic to really delve into the Dominican vs. "black" issue but yeah what AshbyQuin is saying is quite common. That issue in Dyckman was a little deeper/complex than that: you had armed Dominicans clashing with/chasing out blacks in Upper Manhattan /gang related stuff/attempted looting etc. The Dominicans got quiet after certain folks in Brooklyn came up to talk to them.
Generally speaking, most Dominicans do not identify as black either in the US or in DR. They have longstanding conflicts with other black groups whether African American or Caribbean. This however. has been changing in the last ten years particularly among American born Dominicans and with social media.
I hear you.I've got to acknowledge my ignorance.
I can't comment on any of it because things like the bolded wouldn't ever happen in Boston. I'm really wholly unaware as to what these conflicts are or how they play out interpersonally. Also given my age (28) and childhood neighborhood (35% Latino, mostly Dominican).
I have mostly only been around for the social media age as a fully aware adult and haven't really ever really lived without Hispanics around in high number whether they be PR or DR or Central American here in MD. IN my POV its always a lot of black people going up to Lawrence for various things and they're always chilling with black people. These other issues in NY/Philly I have heard of but don't know the details or how it started and haven't experienced firsthand.
In CT Dominicans aren't prominent enough to diverge from Puerto Ricans significantly. I used to have hustle with one who cut my hair. I have always gotten my hair cut by Dominicans, even here in Baltimore. I briefly would get my hair cut by a Trinidadian (originally from Jersey, friends with my father). I also hit up a Puerto Rican spot in Hartford too. I only got my hair cut by other Black Americans as a very very young boy in Roxbury. Its not uncommon to see Dominican Flags at Boston Caribbean Carnival.
Puerto Ricans are certainly more Americanized than Dominicans but the most Black/Latino residential segregation I've seen in New England was North Side Jamaicans and South Side Puerto Ricans in Hartford. Check out a racial map of that..
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