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Yeha I never noticed it. For beach towns, Asbury Park and Wildwood have a lot of vacationers/stayers/beach homes owned by Black Families.
I also noticed a lot of Black families have homes in Long Branch. My friend has a unit there.. and his floor in the condo building is 2/3 Hispanic or Black. Pretty neat.
When I used to have a cape house in the family from my uncle in CT.. i didnt see 1 black or Hispanic homeowner.
+1 for NJ
Yes. Asbury Park, definitely. Great boardwalk there too!
I live in The Hamptons every summer, and I wouldn't say there is a large African American presence in any of the towns.
Yes, I know about Sag Harbor, and it's historic black community, but even there, it's not like you walk around and notice a difference from any of the other towns there. With the highest African American population in the Hamptons, Sag Harbor is only 7.7% African American and 85% white. Take a stroll down Main Street, and I doubt anyone would say to themselves, "Wow, there is a notable AA presence here."
It depends, likely due to seasonal residents and some gentrification, but a school like Bridgehampton has a long history across the state for its very good, mostly black Basketball teams. Here are the demographics for the Bridgehampton UFSD: https://data.nysed.gov/enrollment.ph...d=800000036802
Other Hamptons SD’s have some, but it may not be as high as it once was. I’m referring to East Hampton, Westhampton Beach and Southampton. Many black residents came as migrant farmers to work on East End potato and Duck farms, with some descending from people in that part of Long Island going back centuries. In fact, here is a post from a thread in the NY forum that offers some interesting information: https://www.city-data.com/forum/61122358-post347.html This includes North Fork information about places such as the Mattituck-Cutchogue and Greenport area(the latter another highly regarded HS Basketball small school across the state). In fact, both Bridgehampton and Greenport both had long time head coaches that were black and from those communities. So, there are communities that far out on the island with visible/substantial black populations and with a long history there.
It depends likely due to seasonal residents and some gentrification, but a school like Bridgehampton has a long history across the state for its very good, mostly black Basketball teams. Here are the demographics for the Bridgehampton UFSD: https://data.nysed.gov/enrollment.ph...d=800000036802
Other Hamptons SD’s have some, but it may not be as high as it once was. I’m referring to East Hampton, Westhampton Beach and Southampton. Many black residents came as migrant farmers to work on East End potato and Duck farms, with some descending from people in that part of Long Island going back centuries. In fact, here is a post from a thread in the NY forum that offers some interesting information: https://www.city-data.com/forum/61122358-post347.html This includes North Fork information about places such as the Mattituck-Cutchogue and Greenport area(the latter another highly regarded HS Basketball small school across the state). In fact, both Bridgehampton and Greenport both had long time head coaches that were black and from those communities. So, there are communities that far out on the island with visible/substantial black populations and with a long history there.
I think it is misleading. The school has 41 African American students, and since the school is so small, the percentage will make it seem like there is a high percentage of African Americans, but in reality, there is only 41 African American students in the entire K-12. Why is that? For 2 reasons. First, as you said, most of the residents are seasonal, so the white population doesn't send their kids to school there. Second, because the white people that live in Bridgehampton all year, are wealthy and send their kids to the private schools. Every year round resident that I know personally, send their kids to The Hayground School or the Ross School.
Bridgehampton is very small, mostly with multimillion dollar beach houses south of the highway, and multimillion dollar horse farms, north of the highway. When people from the other villages go to Bridgehampton, it is to watch Polo matches, The Hampton Classic horse show, or to dine at a restaurant with a famous chef. The town could not feel more white if it was named Whiteytown. Again, walk down Main Street in Bridgehampton on any given day, and you will see what I mean.
Like another poster mentioned, go to Asbury Park, NJ. THAT is my idea of an African American presence. And one is not better than the other. I love them both, for their own individual charms. But that is just reality.
I think it is misleading. The school has 41 African American students, and since the school is so small, the percentage will make it seem like there is a high percentage of African Americans, but in reality, there is only 41 African American students in the entire K-12. Why is that? For 2 reasons. First, as you said, most of the residents are seasonal, so the white population doesn't send their kids to school there. Second, because the white people that live in Bridgehampton all year, are wealthy and send their kids to the private schools. Every year round resident that I know personally, send their kids to The Hayground School or the Ross School.
Bridgehampton is very small, mostly with multimillion dollar beach houses south of the highway, and multimillion dollar horse farms, north of the highway. When people from the other villages go to Bridgehampton, it is to watch Polo matches, The Hampton Classic horse show, or to dine at a restaurant with a famous chef. The town could not feel more white if it was named Whiteytown. Again, walk down Main Street in Bridgehampton on any given day, and you will see what I mean.
Like another poster mentioned, go to Asbury Park, NJ. THAT is my idea of an African American presence. And one is not better than the other. I love them both, for their own individual charms. But that is just reality.
My point was that the Hamptons do have a year round, long time black population that is at least visible.
Bridgehampton’s black community has been there for a long time and most are in the Sag Harbor Turnpike area. So, you can have multiple things be true at the same time and this isn’t something new. Just to give some illustration of this, here are a couple of churches in that area: https://www.1stbaptistchurchbh.org/
This type of patronizing response ^^^^ is one reason why many Black folks in CT (myself included) don't want to visit or live in MA if we don't have to. Matter of fact, many of us aren't really checking for MA other than a little cute vacation. Yes - you can live in New England AND still identify with the Tri-State if you live in the NYC CSA, both are factually correct. There are practical reasons for this too as many of our cities receive NYC TV stations and the NYC Commuter Rail system Metro-North covers a big chunk of our population centers where folks live, work, and shop/hangout from Greenwich to New Haven. Don't worry - we also do get some Boston TV too such as NECN and NESN.
What I like about CT is it's modest presenting. Who cares about being the "Black Capital of New England?" No one is checking for that. Instead, folks want to make a decent living and be able to raise their families.
I feel much more comfortable as a Black CT resident traveling within CT than MA any day, despite MA being the "Black Capital of New England." New Haven for example has a certain intangible or sauce/swag that's missing from Boston. It feels a little looser and not as rigid - this may be due to the large arts presence for a small city.
Not sure where the Connecticut shade is coming from. Yes - MA has had a Black governor - while a nice and good person was often blocked by a legislature ran by the same party. The current MA governor is a "Moderate" Republican - was this a whitelash?
Who creates the state budget in CT - a black woman. Who is the State Treasurer and Supreme Court Justice - two Black Men.
Now to the topic of this thread, the geographical distribution of the CT Black Community is along the coastline generally from the NY/CT border to New Haven and then up the I-84 corridor to Hartford. There are different feels though as folks along the coast are a bit faster paced given I-95 and the NYC influence while the Hartford area is a bit slower.
CT definitely has seen an increase our Black population and I think a lot of us like that the state is under the rated and is not trying to be big boss or carry a perceived inferiority complex like MA does towards NY.
I do wish more folks in our community would explore different states outside the South. CT isn't perfect, but it's definitely a gem.
Does 'Connecticut hate' exist? Who is passionate enough about that state to hate it?
Connecticut does not seem like a desirable place to be black in general. NJ NY MA all offers more, just speaking culturally, historically, and economically. Almost anything I hear about Connecticut is in regard to it being boring, stagnant and segregated. Or people moving out of Connecticut. When I lived in DC I met some very nice black people from Connecticut but they did not speak highly of their home state. Everything I dislike about the north in one small package.
As for influence in CT, I don't know how much it extends beyond New Haven. If there is art in New Haven why have we never heard or seen any black artists from Connecticut? There is no doubt MA has as many -if not more- blacks in positions of power. This is based off a google search. Neither approaches New Jersey, based on an eye test.
Regardless-if you're black and you live in that region you should simply move to MD VA or NC if you want some cultural similarity but a much-improved overall experience.
I still think MA is too white and it seems to have especially poor race relations. I dont really see the value in subjecting oneself to that type of strife. And I don't see any reason to "explore" CT. What would be the draw?
Last edited by CleopatraOwns; 06-07-2021 at 12:57 PM..
This type of patronizing response ^^^^ is one reason why many Black folks in CT (myself included) don't want to visit or live in MA if we don't have to. Matter of fact, many of us aren't really checking for MA other than a little cute vacation. Yes - you can live in New England AND still identify with the Tri-State if you live in the NYC CSA, both are factually correct. There are practical reasons for this too as many of our cities receive NYC TV stations and the NYC Commuter Rail system Metro-North covers a big chunk of our population centers where folks live, work, and shop/hangout from Greenwich to New Haven. Don't worry - we also do get some Boston TV too such as NECN and NESN.
What I like about CT is it's modest presenting. Who cares about being the "Black Capital of New England?" No one is checking for that. Instead, folks want to make a decent living and be able to raise their families.
I feel much more comfortable as a Black CT resident traveling within CT than MA any day, despite MA being the "Black Capital of New England." New Haven for example has a certain intangible or sauce/swag that's missing from Boston. It feels a little looser and not as rigid - this may be due to the large arts presence for a small city.
Not sure where the Connecticut shade is coming from. Yes - MA has had a Black governor - while a nice and good person was often blocked by a legislature ran by the same party. The current MA governor is a "Moderate" Republican - was this a whitelash?
Who creates the state budget in CT - a black woman. Who is the State Treasurer and Supreme Court Justice - two Black Men.
Now to the topic of this thread, the geographical distribution of the CT Black Community is along the coastline generally from the NY/CT border to New Haven and then up the I-84 corridor to Hartford. There are different feels though as folks along the coast are a bit faster paced given I-95 and the NYC influence while the Hartford area is a bit slower.
CT definitely has seen an increase our Black population and I think a lot of us like that the state is under the rated and is not trying to be big boss or carry a perceived inferiority complex like MA does towards NY.
I do wish more folks in our community would explore different states outside the South. CT isn't perfect, but it's definitely a gem.
Bruh...lol where do I even begin lol.
1. I lived in CT for 4 years. No one likes Connecticut even in Connecticut. idk exactly why-I LIKE CT. I am a borderline CT Booster. You got me messed up
2. yall don't want to visit or live in Massachusetts( except for a vacation)Dude this is a massive massive massive lie. There's so many black people from Connecticut in Massachusetts.
I can think of Phil and Michelle Brown from Waterbury very successful in Boston as a power couple
my student when I taught was also from Waterbury.
I had a friend in Mattapan from New Haven.
One of my dad's good friends is from South Carolina but moved to Bridgeport before moving to Boston. Both he and my dad admired Windsor, CT.
This man came to Boston from New Haven for the fashion scene.
I heard a Hartford rapper on 98.1 The Urban Heat interviewing in Boston to get his name out here.
Our own Black Mayor of Boston went to Goodwin College in Connecticut and lived in Bloomfield for a few years before she moved back to Boston.
The Black man who created the Juneteenth Flag, 'Boston' Ben Haith was actually born in Norwich, CT. He moved to Boston and became a community activist.
I also know of a collaboration between two dads in Hartford and Springfield to boost New England recruitment in Basketball and Football-news stories and everything on it.
Never mind, I had a black boss who literally commuted into the Boston area from New London 3 times a week.
Never mind, Hot 93.7 used to throw a CT vs. Mass rap showcase.
I listen to a black podcaster in CT who is a huge celtics fan
And like you said you all come here for vacation. Literally to relax and be comfortable... and you come to MA, not visa versa.
3. modest presenting-yes, this is true. Folks from Connecticut are modest and polite compared to pretty much the whole urbanized northeast. But they're also boring as is the state. Modesty is sort of expected when there's no definitive culture or things that the state is known for. And no major cities.
4. Deval Patrick white backlash?? He was elected twice and he would have coasted to a third election had he chose to run. He had literally already beat the Guy who became governor back in 2010.
5. Using arts as an example CT over Boston is one of the wildest arguments I've heard. Hartford has maybe 3-night club and zero public art outside for the dilapidated Heaven Skate Park downtown. Same with most of Bridgeport and New London. Please there is zero music scene.
CT's black advantage over MA is that it's cheaper, blacker and closer to NYC not it has more arts because its really really doesn't. Worcester and Lynn alone blow anything in CT out of the water. never mind Artist like Bia( Whole Lotta Money f. Nicki Minaj) and Coi Leray (no more parties, big purr) and Joyner Lucas (on the Space Jam soundtrack, Grammy-nominated artist) are simply doing things that don't EVER happen in CT...
For a long time, saying “East Coast rap” was just another way of saying “New York rap”—understandable, given how seismic an impact the city had and continues to have on the culture. But while New York will always make waves, there are also incredibly fertile scenes in Philadelphia, Boston, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and beyond—a fact that life in the digital age has made clearer (and more accessible) than ever. So consider this playlist a rack focus: a broader look at a region that has been too narrowly defined for too long. From Maryland to Maine, radiating off I-95, here’s what’s happening in (ahem) East Coast rap now.
Mentions of Boston and Rhode Island, not of CT in fact the playlist features 12 Boston tracks and none from Connecticut. Additionally, things like Dusse Palooza, Trap Karoake and the like go to Boston-not Connecticut. CT having more swag is...interesting considering some very cool black people have come from Boston such as Bell Biv Devoe, Malcolm X, Dana Barros.
Ruth Carter-the costume design for Black Panther-is from Springfield. Add to this the Boston Arts Music and Soul festival (BAMSfest)
this video from the Boston Globe describes a black man from NYC who came to Worcester as a Director of Culture for the city. He loves it -he's since moved to a higher-ranking position in the city of Worcester. The Journalist covering this is a black woman from Kansas City who started an award-winning seriesin the Globe to Highlight Black culture throughout new England because she felt it was overlooked nationally and locally. Shes touched down in CT once or twice...
6. Massachusetts is uptight sure but coming from Connecticut? Wow, wow.. You just this month legalized weed- 5 years after us. You only opened up your liquor stores on Sunday in 2011. And your black incarceration rate is much higher than Massachusetts, as is the segregation... Don't the clubs close at 1 there? Cmon now, CT goes out of its way to be boring.
Connecticut has an underrated chill black community for certain. but it's a pretty dull state and people don't seem to be happy there, generally. I enjoy it and think it was great in college and I relate to the culture pretty much perfectly. Its biggest difference from MA is that it's more Jamaican rather than Haitian and more Puerto Rican rather than Dominican. In general, it's a bit more of a concentrated black population but nothing much. The scope, diversity, cultural relevance, and growth of the black community in MA is greater and more well known. Dorchester alone has more Black people than Bridgeport, New Haven, or Hartford. Thats 6 square miles, the culture just bubbles out.
In the NBA playoff, two prominent players were black individuals from Massachusetts. Terance Mann (Lowell, Clippers) and Bruce Brown (Dorchester, Nets). The Olympics will have two women from Massachusetts Gabby Thomas, born in Atlanta and raised in Northampton, MA) running in the women 200m. And Wdaeline Jonathas (born in Haiti and raised in Worcester, MA) in the 400m.
A third, a man from Hyde Park MA- Davonte Burnett qualified for the Olympic Trials but scratched to go race in the Jamaica Trials (he's a Jamaican-American) he got injured and won't be running for Jamaica.
Overall there is no such thing as CT hate, just general malaise. black people in MA don't really think about CT in any type of way. its just a place we sometimes find ourselves. In CT I found it to be the same. You just seem to have MA hate. The only reason I had to lay it all out there was because of the unwarranted MA hate.
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 07-12-2021 at 02:15 AM..
I lived in New England long enough to know what's what. Based non your comments you're really enjoying New Haven/CT and likely haven't looked much outside of that space and certainly not into the various cities in MA (or RI). But if your here 25 years with family here and friends in the region you'll see it pretty overlapp-y
This young black cannabis entrepreneur is opening his shop in Worcester. He is originally from Bridgeport.
^Creator in this video (from Connecticut) says "CT/Boston" Slang
This rap show in Worcester is donating 100% of the proceeds to Mental Health Connecticut.
This Black run training/recruitment portal was founded by two men- one from Hartford and one from Springfield but they coach and mentor black HS athletes from Lynn, MA to down to Stamford CT.
Even going back to the 70s and New Haven Black Panther Party-it was kicked off by a dude from Boston,
"Inside Yale’s buildings, Doug Miranda, the young Panther leader sent from Boston to revive the New Haven chapter, urged students to burn the campus as May Day neared."
Many down New Haven and point southwest are very proud of being close to NYC, but they float their way on up to Boston and it's not at all uncommon. New Haven being more in contact than Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk which really is the NYC area with New England aesthetics/features.
New Haven is more pure Connecticut so far as I can tell. When I was in Grade School a dude from New Haven was up in MA at a playground and tried to poach me to his AAU club down there-but obviously it was too far (I wonder why he even tried?. In high school, I did play teams from Eastern CT and Hartford/West Hartford. Never south of there.
the Bay State Banner is the largest and oldest African-American newspaper in New England. It reaches over 75,000 people weekly through its platforms.
It has switched ownership for the first time in 57 years and will be expanding its coverage.
While retaining its local character and concentration on quality news and feature stories, the Banner will gradually undergo an expansion to three other New England markets — north of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island — and go to print with some content exclusive to each of the four planned editions, said Mitchell.
Just further solidifying the point about Roxbury- where the Banner is headquartered- being the Black Capital of New England.
Mitchell, 61, president and chief executive officer of the new ownership group Mitchell Stark Enterprises, will serve as publisher and editor of the Banner, the largest and oldest African-American newspaper in New England.
“I grew up in Boston. I’ve been part of the community fabric all my life. I’ve been reading the Banner since I was a kid,” said Mitchell, who resigned from WBZ-TV last week to prepare the first edition of the paper under his watch.
“I have enormous respect for the paper and what it has meant to the Black community for close to six decades. Our goal is to preserve its role and expand its future.”
The nephew of former METCO director Jean McGuire, who served for many years on the elected Boston School Committee, Mitchell has ties to the Miller family going back generations. “Mel knew my grandfather, who was an Episcopal minister, and the farm he owned in Canton. He knows my father and my Aunt Jean.”
Like Miller, Stark, 63, comes from a West Indian family long established in Boston. “Mel took my Aunt Sylvia to the high school prom,” said the filmmaker. “I went to Freedom House run by Otto and Muriel Snowden when I was a kid and started reading the Banner back then.”
Colette Phillips, a publicist who has emerged as a key liaison between the Boston business community and community enterprises, said she was reassured to hear that the paper would remain in Black hands while preserving its editorial independence. She noted that the sale comes as many weekly and small daily newspapers across the country are either folding or being hollowed out by private equity and hedge-fund buyers who outsources editorial decision-making to out-of-state journalistic assembly lines.
“The important part of this is that we’re able to maintain the integrity of the Banner,” said Phillips. “The Banner has always been a strong voice and advocate for Black people in Boston — politically, socially and economically — and with the demographics of the city changing, attracting more Black people than ever, we need a stronger Banner.”
The Banner will be acquired by a group headed by Ron Mitchell, an editor and video journalist at WBZ-TV, and Andre Stark, a filmmaker whose credits include GBH-TV and its national programs “Frontline” and “Nova.” Yawu Miller, Mel Miller’s nephew, will stay on as senior editor, and Ken Cooper, who recently retired from a top position at GBH News, will serve as an editorial consultant overseeing the addition of three regional editions north of Massachusetts, in Connecticut and in Rhode Island. Colin Redd, who’s worked as business development manager at Blavity, a website popular with younger African Americans, will oversee a digital expansion.
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 03-01-2023 at 08:41 AM..
For many black organizations, CT has its own chapters. But there's also a good amount of movement and some interchange between Boston/MA and CT. Aside from the obvious connections in Springfield. I often find New Haven people in Bosotn, like this article on Youth Scholars in NAACP's ACT_So event in Boston. 16-year-old Mal Eason lives in Dorchester but is originally from New Haven, Conn..
In addition Tonight Bostons is really kicking off the NAACP Conference. The Black Economic Council of Massachusetts will be a private event near the venue hosted by the New England NAACP Conference and the Connecticut NAACP Conference. All the proceeds of the event will go to support the Youth divisions of the Connecticut and New England Conferences
"BECMA is proud to be one of the sponsors of the 50 Years of Hip Hop Celebration during the NAACP Convention at @GRACEbyNIA! The event is hosted by the Connecticut and New England Area Conference (NEAC) of @NAACP.
Proceeds from the celebration will go to the youth and college division of the NAACP in both New England and Connecticut"
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 07-28-2023 at 10:33 AM..
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