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I've never heard of "Code Of The Streets". However, I do get what you're talking about. I come from an educated, middle class background. However, I have dealt with that kind of pressure. Ironically, I got alot of that pressure in a high school that was 90% White. There were some Black kids who didn't see me as "authentically Black". There was that pressure to "code switch". It was something that I needed to refuse. I never grew up with "street values", so that is foreign to me.
I grew up in an odd situation. Middle class, predominantly White area. I also went to school with alot of White kids who were working class and lower class. I was in a part of the Atlanta area that was still rather redneck in its character. However, there was a small Black population (the county I lived in was about 4% Black when I moved there in the late 1990s. It's about 21% Black today). I struggled to fit in for alot of reasons. I wasn't "Black enough" for some of the Black kids. And some of the White kids just didn't like Black kids at all. Ironically, some of the biggest "you talk White" comments I would get came from White kids. Go figure.
Maybe if I read "Growing Up In Black and White", I might be able to relate to it. In my case, I dealt with things by disassociating myself with some of the people I was around. My way of dealing with things was existing in a state of relative isolation. To me, where I lived wasn't my world. I was simply a prisoner of it. I knew there was a world outside of where I was living during middle school and high school. When you have cable TV (or you watch the documentaries on PBS), you think "one day I'm leaving you suckers behind".
I don't consider myself part of the bourgeois. To me to has a connotation of snobbery. I just consider myself a Black middle class person who is rather nerdy. I stopped worrying about being "authentically Black" a long time ago. I am aware that Black people who do get shamed for "not being Black enough" or "not authentic".
And I won't lie to you. I have been scarred in some ways. I know my younger sister got scarred big time. Of course, in her case, because of the nearly 5-year age difference, and her being female, I think she got it differently. My middle school was 4% Black when I was going there. Her middle school was more like 10% Black when she was going there. She was catching so much crap from other Black girls. When I was in middle school, I caught a bunch of crap from mostly White boys (interestingly, I caught far less hostility from White girls). High school I not only got it from some of the White kids (especially redneck types for some reason), I got it from some of the Black kids. My sister got it mostly from Black females. I think it affected her immensely. She rarely had Black female friends. And the one Black female friend she had, pretty much quit associating with my sister around high school. My sister was made fun of for not being "Black enough", for "talking White", for "acting White". Thankfully, my sister could play an instrument and was in marching band during high school. She found her niche. She lives in Colorado now (a place I would still consider living in).
That sucks. At this point in my life, I'm very grateful for having been raised in a predominantly Black environment in the small town/rural South. After the victories of the CRM, much of the middle-class White population fled the county seat and began sending their kids to private schools, so for most of my school years, everyone at all SES and educational achievement levels was pretty Black (and in elementary school, there was a clear upper crust of classmates whose parents were mostly educators, pastors, or civil servants. They got on my nerves talking about their shared bourgeoise experiences outside of school LOL). I was a nerd from a working-class family headed by my still-married parents (of 42 years as of next month) that excelled academically, was 1st chair trombone in band, and played basketball during my high school years. My childhood and early adult years were shaped profoundly by the classical Black institutions of the church, HBCUs (via Upward Bound), and civic organizations (pledged a BGLO in undergrad). So although I loved hanging out in the library, reading Greek mythology, and eagerly anticipated annual book and science fairs, I was never ever accused of "acting" or "sounding" White since there were essentially no White people around to be compared to. And in my quite small high school (graduating class of approximately 35 or so students), the student body was essentially half Black and half White with only about 4 or 5 kids total on my grade level in AP classes, and only one was White.
I have never heard of "bourgeois Blacks" being jealous of Blacks from the streets. That has never occurred to me. I know that some very rich Black people look down on lower class Blacks. However, jealousy is something I've never heard of. I'm more familiar with some White persons having resentment towards Blacks, namely over affirmative action.
In the 7th grade I had a Black teacher. One of the few Black teachers I had between middle school and high school (and the last time I had a Black teacher while in public school). She came from what you might call a "bourgeois" background. She went to private school. Looking back, she was a good teacher. She exposed me to literature that only my father and mother would have introduced me to. I felt like I was one of the few students that understood her. She had a few acquaintances in the music industry, so she might have been exposed to alot of different people who came from different backgrounds. To me, she was not a snob at all. She didn't have the "bourgeois" attitude that some people might associate. She was more down to earth, and understood what it might mean to come from a poor background (even if she didn't come from a poor background). She was a very "no nonsense" kind of woman.
I have an interesting situation myself. I've never been in the "street culture" so it's hard for me to traverse that world. I can relate to what it means to be Black. One thing I've been my whole life is Black. I understand that no matter how nerdy I am, no matter how "non-stereotypical" and "white-sounding" some people perceive me to be, I will still catch crap. I will just get exposed to more passive-aggressive discrimination.
A co-worker I had several years ago, there were things we could relate to, despite coming from different places. He grew up in a predominantly Black, working class background. I grew up in a predominantly White area. He went to college in a 90% White area, and that was a shock for him. Mannerisms, things he was used to doing, he couldn't do that in a 90% White area. He had to adjust and he dealt with some ignorant people. I, on the other hand, had been preparing for that most of my life (while be scarred in the process). But we both understood something. Neither one of us were questioning each other's "Blackness". We were both college-educated professionals who had dealt with certain experiences. Experiences that cross class boundaries.
Oddly enough, it wasn't just some Black people questioning my "Blackness". Some of my "authenticity" has been questioned by some White people. That I never expected, until I got to high school.
Context: "Jealous" from the standpoint that I lapped up a ton of scholarships, had my college fully paid for, and won the highest award from the School - like how could this "project kid" possibly do that with such bad parentage /s. Here I am thinking we're all supposed to be in this together given our shared struggle for racial equity in this country. I'm good now but just wanted to share my story here.
First, congratulations on successfully climbing the ladder of upward mobility, and you earned your free ride through college. Those bougie Blacks who were butthurt by your success should just get over it.
But maybe you did gain some "privilege" thereby, for it appears you were accepted by Blacks on both sides of the class/culture divide. I've met other middle- and even upper-middle-class Blacks who have told me they felt isolated because neither their white counterparts nor their less-well-off brethren made them feel like they belonged. I was fortunate to have a Black guy living in the room next to me after I experienced my ritualized humiliation freshman year at Harvard (!), and I am eternally grateful to him for helping me screw my head back on straight. I guess I lucked out in high school (an elite private prep school in Kansas City) because my white classmates did accept me, and so did my Black friends up and down the spectrum (I still remember fondly the surprise birthday party my cousins arranged for my 16th birthday, an all-Black affair).
Thanks for the empathy and yes I totally do have some privilege now and own that aspect of my life.
Glad you found a sense of community at college and maintained that sense of balance, even within very elite environments.
Sidenote: I always enjoy reading your CD posts and passion for Philly - an underrated and awesome city with all sorts of complexities.
I knew Denver elected Wellington Webb as their first AA mayor, didn’t know that they elected a second. Good on them.
Heck even rinky-dink Des Moines elected a Black mayor in the 90s.
Denver's second Black mayor, while not perfect, is in his third term (really impressive feat). The city continues to grow and I think on balance Denver handles racial issues much better than SF, which also has a Black Mayor. I feel more comfortable in Denver because it doesn't feel as performative as SF (my former place of residence for several years - a good job in finance brought me there).
Context: "Jealous" from the standpoint that I lapped up a ton of scholarships, had my college fully paid for, and won the highest award from the School - like how could this "project kid" possibly do that with such bad parentage /s. Here I am thinking we're all supposed to be in this together given our shared struggle for racial equity in this country. I'm good now but just wanted to share my story here.
Okay, now I get it. Kind of a snobbish jealousy.
In some ways, this underscores a kind of crabs in the barrel mentality. One might expect the upper class Black persons to be proud of a Black person from a poor background for achieving. I would think a sentiment of "He's working hard and I want him to come up in the world. I want him to achieve". In
Very interesting read. In a sense makes a conclusion that is somewhat contradictory to its information, in the sense that interaction may be minimal because of a lack of relationship based upon that construct, directly and indirectly.
It also speaks to how a do it yourself attitude due to the lack of proper governance can actually play a big part in the socialization of certain communities. This also is detrimental in the sense that people in said communities still pay taxes, but do not get reciprocated in services.
However, this also means that certain communities also have to "brace themselves" for lack of a better term, for such reactions and in turn, hold fast to their own traditions that will allow them to get through(i.e.-family(structure), institutions, etc.). I'll digress though...
As to get back on track in terms of cities/areas, I am still curious about other groups in terms of what places tend to have a positive perception in terms of progress, representation and other aspects.
Oregon is usually thought of as one of the more progressive states, but it has a rather shady history as the state at one point enacted sundown laws. Not certain cities or counties. The whole state.
I would have to imagine that those draconic laws are officially repealed by now, but for many POC’s the state does carry a bit of a stigma to this day. Asians and Hispanics seem be doing alright there these days, but the Black community remains wary.
I figured it would be one of the more progressive states (as of the 1990s and after) in spite of its history. Oregon's sundown law was repealed in 1926. Oregon's biggest growth in its Black population took place during WWII, when Blacks from the South went to Portland to work in the shipyards.
I would think no one born after 1980 would even know about Oregon's darker history. Oregon also has a history for being quite violent towards its Asian population.
Seattle I could see as a better option. My #1 issue is the rapid increase in the cost of living. I did live in the Seattle metro area as a child.
Los Angeles, well, this is what I know. There are racial tensions that exist there between Blacks and Hispanics and it has erupted into violence. I would really have to consider where I would live.
Portland has things that would attract me there. I don't know what the salaries are for Portland.
One major concern I have is being able to live my life without dealing with a bunch of hostility.
It depends on the field. Median wages are generally fairly high across the board, though it tends to do better for service and blue collar jobs.
Looking at the 2021 BLS data, it has very high wages relative to other metros in occupations like animal trainers, bicycle repairers, firefighters, labor relations specialists, massage therapists, power distributors and dispatchers, and psychiatrists.
That sucks. At this point in my life, I'm very grateful for having been raised in a predominantly Black environment in the small town/rural South. After the victories of the CRM, much of the middle-class White population fled the county seat and began sending their kids to private schools, so for most of my school years, everyone at all SES and educational achievement levels was pretty Black (and in elementary school, there was a clear upper crust of classmates whose parents were mostly educators, pastors, or civil servants. They got on my nerves talking about their shared bourgeoise experiences outside of school LOL). I was a nerd from a working-class family headed by my still-married parents (of 42 years as of next month) that excelled academically, was 1st chair trombone in band, and played basketball during my high school years. My childhood and early adult years were shaped profoundly by the classical Black institutions of the church, HBCUs (via Upward Bound), and civic organizations (pledged a BGLO in undergrad). So although I loved hanging out in the library, reading Greek mythology, and eagerly anticipated annual book and science fairs, I was never ever accused of "acting" or "sounding" White since there were essentially no White people around to be compared to. And in my quite small high school (graduating class of approximately 35 or so students), the student body was essentially half Black and half White with only about 4 or 5 kids total on my grade level in AP classes, and only one was White.
Both of my parents went to predominantly Black high schools. My mother is from the South. What you described is what happened to her high school. When integration began, many of the White residents took their children out of the public schools and put them in private schools.
My father was born and raised in the urban Midwest. His neighborhood was 99% Black, therefore, so was his school. He came from a working class, blue collar home. However, there was also a decent-size Black middle class in his neighborhood. He had mostly Black teachers. Now, his high school also had issues because it wasn't funded that well (his high school was considered one of the worst in the city, during the 1960s). However, he was expected to excel. However, there is something else I will mention. Housing discrimination was a big issue. As soon as housing discrimination ended, alot of Black middle class people left the neighborhood for other places. Many of my father's teachers went to HBCUs.
I know about the AP classes and honors classes. I had Honors World History in high school. I was one of 3 Black students in the class. I didn't think much of it at the time.
Growing up where I did, I knew maybe one or two truly "bourgeois" Black people. One of them was a girl. She had a snootiness about her. She was also quite mean.
I never really heard the term "bougie" until I watched the Bernie Mac Show, the episode where Vanessa was called "bougie" by two Black girls. Never mind she came from a rough upbringing and was only living with her uncle because her mother was a drug addict. Another show that touched on such a subject was Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Carlton got turned away from a Black fraternity (his father's fraternity) because he wasn't "Black enough". Basically, because of Carlton's upper class upbringing, he was viewed as "not Black enough". And there were members of that fraternity who didn't like how Carlton was being treated. Uncle Phil even gave a speech about "why do we do this to each other?".
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