Is Southlake, Texas a Friendly Place for African Americans? (Dallas: school district, to live)

[Grainraiser]

Originally Posted by lonestar9918

Southlake is an affluent, predominatley white area. They typically welcome people who are the same as them...and by same as them i mean..educated and succesful. Nobody cares if you are AA or white or otherwise. Money is what matters in Southlake..period.

This is correct. Most folks who live in Southlake including minorities can afford to live anywhere in the DFW area. I know a few blacks who live in Southlake and I have never ever heard them complain about living in the area. Income level not race is what keeps most minorites out of South Lake. That is not South Lakes fault.

[skids929]

Originally Posted by Grainraiser

This is correct. Most folks who live in Southlake including minorities can afford to live anywhere in the DFW area. I know a few blacks who live in Southlake and I have never ever heard them complain about living in the area. Income level not race is what keeps most minorites out of South Lake. That is not South Lakes fault.

Exactly

But it's sooooooo easy to call them all racist because they have more! They got MORE by working (very hard I might add) and not complaining and worrying about what anyone else has or what race they are! The notion that rich folks don't work hard for what they have or are racist doesn't sit well with me.

America is a meritocracy for the most-part people, for the time being..You work hard you get more, case closed. You were born with more brains, use it right, you earn more. Bitching about having less opportunity because of race certainly isn't making anyone money..Well maybe Sharpton..He could afford to live in Southlake!

To be completely honest, I love the concept of 'make more money live near less stupid people', because that is what is really going on in Southlake. But it happens automatically. Barriers to entry! It's a great motivator for me actually. Create wealth, move further and further from all the dumb people who are capable off using race as means to paint an entire town as racist.

[1908WAGY]

Originally Posted by skids929

Exactly

But it's sooooooo easy to call them all racist because they have more! They got MORE by working (very hard I might add) and not complaining and worrying about what anyone else has or what race they are! The notion that rich folks don't work hard for what they have or are racist doesn't sit well with me.

America is a meritocracy for the most-part people, for the time being..You work hard you get more, case closed. You were born with more brains, use it right, you earn more. Bitching about having less opportunity because of race certainly isn't making anyone money..Well maybe Sharpton..He could afford to live in Southlake!

To be completely honest, I love the concept of 'make more money live near less stupid people', because that is what is really going on in Southlake. But it happens automatically. Barriers to entry! It's a great motivator for me actually. Create wealth, move further and further from all the dumb people who are capable off using race as means to paint an entire town as racist.

I agree with most of what you said, however, some folks are rich based upon who they, not hard work or superior intelligence. Some folks catch breaks based on their lineage, appearance, etc. But that's a conversation for another day. I certainly like the less stupid people part of your post. That suits me just fine. lol.

[opilopi]

Thank you all so very much for confirmation that there really is anything to worry about. Being Indian and dealing with past issues, I feel better

[GreyDay]

Originally Posted by skids929

Exactly

But it's sooooooo easy to call them all racist because they have more! They got MORE by working (very hard I might add) and not complaining and worrying about what anyone else has or what race they are! The notion that rich folks don't work hard for what they have or are racist doesn't sit well with me.

America is a meritocracy for the most-part people, for the time being..You work hard you get more, case closed. You were born with more brains, use it right, you earn more. Bitching about having less opportunity because of race certainly isn't making anyone money..Well maybe Sharpton..He could afford to live in Southlake!

To be completely honest, I love the concept of 'make more money live near less stupid people', because that is what is really going on in Southlake. But it happens automatically. Barriers to entry! It's a great motivator for me actually. Create wealth, move further and further from all the dumb people who are capable off using race as means to paint an entire town as racist.

America is a meritocracy? Perhaps. However to some degree, a child's success is tied to his initial station in life. Political kids, get political hookups. Physicians or phds' kids have a higher chance of obtaining the same degree. If your father or parent is successful, they have better means to help their children. It's not the end all be all, but it is a step up on the competition. But it's quite naive to think there's a linear relationship between intelligence and attained income.

A kid (regardless of race) from a horrific school district will have fewer chances than a kid from Southlake or HPISD. Your SES at birth can put a ceiling on things quickly in terms of what you can expect to achieve in life. Sadly, to a large degree minority status and lower SES are still linked- so it becomes hard to separate the two.

Southlake is fine for anyone who can afford it, it's a bit flashy perhaps and not the most central location if you work in Dallas. Buy below your means, keep your grass green and the music down- that mantra works in any town.

I think the question was more about 'comfort'. That means different things to different folks, but it's important.

[BigMama_A]

Originally Posted by THP005

Hi, I am very interested in Southlake, Texas and wanted to know if it was a friendly place for an African American family. I have children that are in grade school so I am very sensitive to their needs and want to live in a place where other children would be accepting of them. If you know other AAs that live there and love it/hate it, please share their experiences. Thanks.

Originally Posted by nyarmama

Hi !!!!!I may be the African that was mentioned earlier by the workmate ...I have lived in Southlake going to Ten years and honestly could not be happier. I would encourage you to move.... and move confidently as long as you do not have an inferiority complex..... which you should not!!..... I do not believe that any of my neighbors because of the color of their skin have more right in living here than I do and I am a little perplexed that in 2010 we still feel that way. Move to a place because even though there is a recession Southlake hardly felt it.... in fact our property value went up. My daughter is well adjusted was born here and is actually her school student president in a school that is 2 percent around. ...so much for diversity. My neighbors are mostly White ...and so ?? I do not live with them, we work very hard so most of the time we wave and have a yearly parties and bbq at the end of the year. The kids in my strret only two are her age so clearly they are not really hanging around together....They are just too busy..in summer most of them go to to other states visiting their parents or other countries....We have Russian Polish Japanese, Spanish...etc... There is an African American Church in Southlake even though there are only about 500 African Americans and as someone said before the Southlake land was formerly owned by Blacks . We have never had any problem whatsoever..we are 15mins from the airport so it i want to head back to Africa usually there within 24hrs. My husband9Also African...lest you think otherwise..) and I went to school in Texas...when we were looking for a place to stay,... we were looking for real estate value, my neighbors are the least of my problem as we both work very hard. My daughter has more than enough friends at school and when we have parties my neighbors come etc ...what else???? In Africa , whites are a minority ...does not mean the Africans are racists !! It may be an age factor..... but I am in my high forties..Those encouraging you not to come may be much older...but most African Americans staying in Southlake have no time for the stupidity called racism...you may find an idiot but they are everywhere even in so called African American neighborhoods.....and I believe there was one long time ago when we moved ...believe me he has since moved...racists are bullies ...once you are an adult ..please you can handle anything .I am opening an orphanage in my country and these are the same people that I will ask funds from the world is a beautiful place...and so is Southlake if you want to come...send me a message and I will be your welcome person....!!Just depends on what you are looking for...security is great ...just a calm laid back place and it is actually pretty non pretentious....home is what you make it.. so if you need to go to the store with your sweats, flipflops and a headscarf on your head like i do sometimes lol!...its all good ....your home is where you live and what you make it, and I could not trade this place except for back home which I go to every few months. Hope that helped . If you are not looking down at your hands when typing or at a mirror.. can you really tell what color you are? I learnt I was Black when I first came here..I know the history very well ..We must move from color and get to substance.We may miss great opportunities because of our fear to move somewhere.Let me know when you get here love to have you stop by for a drink or brunch . nyarmama.

Hi are you still living in Southlake? Would love to pick your brain some more as I am considering moving there from the northeast.

[BigMama_A]

Originally Posted by opilopi

Thank you all so very much for confirmation that there really is anything to worry about. Being Indian and dealing with past issues, I feel better

Did you move to Southlake? I'm considering it and would love to hear about it and certain areas I'm looking into.
Thanks!

[macjoubert]

Hahahaha ! I called it almost 9 years ago and now Southlake's curtains have been lifted.
The COUNTRY knows the kind of town it really is.!

[apple44]

Hmmmm, OP, perhaps you should google Southlake, Texas first? Find recent news and you'll see how that town is.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...ation-rcna5839

To quote: "The department’s Office for Civil Rights notified the suburban school district’s officials last week that it had opened three investigations into complaints about discrimination against students based on their race, gender and national origin."

And: "The federal investigations come three years after leaders in the Carroll school system, 30 miles northwest of Dallas, promised and ultimately failed to make sweeping changes to address racism in the district following the release of a video of white high school students chanting the N-word. After the video went viral, dozens of parents, students and recent graduates came forward with stories of racist and anti-LGBTQ harassment at Carroll, a majority-white district that has grown more diverse in recent years."

[TX Rover]

Original post is over a decade old.

ETA: it’s only become worse over that decade. You couldn’t pay me to live there.