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I'd spend more time researching the "Great White North" (of Lee Highway) in Arlington, but I'm not sure I could deal with the harsh winters, which is why I hedged my comment by saying "I'd bet..."
Not to mention that BBD will probably remind us shortly that only a fraction of the Democrats in Arlington supported McCarthy in 1968, or McGovern in 1972, so...it
I may stand in the minority, but I'm a black person who actually moved from PG County to (or rather back to) NoVA for a few unique reasons. One of the main reasons is because I felt like I was living under communism or some sort of dictatorship during the time I was growing up in PG County. But instead of communism or religious extremism, it was thugmentality and the "hood life."
From what I've heard from family and other blacks from DC and PG County, one of the main reasons they avoid VA is because they think it's too conservative and white, but that's only the case if they look at Old Town Alexandria, Pentagon/Crystal City, and North Arlington, which at this point is a minority of Northern VA. And most of those residents are transplants from less diverse and more conservative parts of the country. Granted, it's sort of grinds my gears that living in Clarendon, I have to deal with plenty of racially conservative a**hats from Boston/NYC suburbs and the Midwest, but most of NoVA is pretty damn racially progressive. Look at places like Springfield, Reston, Herndon, Manassas, Lorton, Woodbridge, internal parts of Alexandria and Arlington, and even Chantilly, Centreville, Leesburg, and Ashburn. Those cities are your true picture of Northern VA.
My only concern is that the less racially progressive yuppies that are swarming DC will start coming to inner NoVA in droves when they're ready to send their kids to school, and push their ideas on racially integrated NoVA neighborhoods, thus making the otherwise outdated beliefs many blacks in this area hold about Virginia more valid (once again).
To all black readers who live in PG County, I know that it seems like I'm over-hyping NoVA and dismissing your concerns, but if you look at the interaction blacks have with non-blacks in this part of the DC area, you'll see where I'm coming from. And what I've seen and experienced in DC proper, it's overdue for a race riot (from both ends).
As for the other reasons of getting more land for a less expensive price, being around a familiar culture, and easier commuting, all of those are valid reasons where I can understand why a black person would rather move to PG over NoVA. However, I can tell you that doing things for the sake of convenience isn't always the best option.
I have to agree. I grew up in Alexandria and now live in PG. I went to a HBCU and given an equal choice I would prefer living in a majority Black setting for the rest of my life.
The reality is that things are not equal. It's really sad that PG county is about as good as gets for a majority black middle class county in this country and the schools are such a joke. Evidently many Black parents simply do not value instilling the skills and behaviors for their kids to be successful and well behaved in a school setting. This has a negative impact on the school since a tremendous amount of time is spent disciplining or merely trying to settle down these kids so some kind of instruction can occur.
You also touch on another troubling point. You would think in an affluent, relatively educated county like PG that there would be more tolerance for diverse political views but alas it's a one party county.
Watching the news about the special election in NYC I was struck how this mostly Democratic, Jewish district was able to pivot from a very progressive Weiner to a GOP candidate a shade less conservative than a Tea party candidate simply because they were dissatisfied about the direction of the country. You simply would never see that type of pivot in PG county with the current demographics. So one party rules the roost unchallenged which allows corruption, crime, poor schools and ruinous taxes to take hold.
It's a sad state of affairs but I too will be following you across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in a few months and there will be no turning back for me.
I have to agree. I grew up in Alexandria and now live in PG. I went to a HBCU and given an equal choice I would prefer living in a majority Black setting for the rest of my life.
The reality is that things are not equal. It's really sad that PG county is about as good as gets for a majority black middle class county in this country and the schools are such a joke. Evidently many Black parents simply do not value instilling the skills and behaviors for their kids to be successful and well behaved in a school setting. This has a negative impact on the school since a tremendous amount of time is spent disciplining or merely trying to settle down these kids so some kind of instruction can occur.
You also touch on another troubling point. You would think in an affluent, relatively educated county like PG that there would be more tolerance for diverse political views but alas it's a one party county.
Watching the news about the special election in NYC I was struck how this mostly Democratic, Jewish district was able to pivot from a very progressive Weiner to a GOP candidate a shade less conservative than a Tea party candidate simply because they were dissatisfied about the direction of the country. You simply would never see that type of pivot in PG county with the current demographics. So one party rules the roost unchallenged which allows corruption, crime, poor schools and ruinous taxes to take hold.
It's a sad state of affairs but I too will be following you across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in a few months and there will be no turning back for me.
Preach!!! It is so sad that people in this county for the most part see nothing wrong with the way things are ran. This county has so much more potential, but lacks the savvy of it's constituents to put the right people in place. I definitely agree with the political parties part and that is one of the secondary reasons why I want to live in a diverse community. Black people in PG believe Democrats are our saviors. It completely undermines our political system to have one party rule.
African Americans are only about 11-12% of the population. So...the question isn't why aren't there many in NOVA (there are easily 11-13%), it's why so many in DC?
The reality (as opposed to the illusion) is that white folks are NOT doing it on their own. They are doing it on the basis of advantages built into their lives by the long history of a tilted playing field. This is why the Supreme Court in the University of Michigan cases told opponents of affirmative action to go away and come back in 25 years and maybe the Court would take a look at it again. I personally doubt that 25 years will be a long enough time, in part because there are still so many who simply don't and/or won't see the very facts that you have just pointed out.
You don't say... Tell me, how is it that many non-white immigrants (including African and Afro-Carib) who come to this country with even lower levels of "intergenerational" support (and sometimes with nearly zero English skills) than native blacks do so well (or certainly better than would be expected according to this logic)?
Interesting thing about the so-called affirmative action (Michigan and so on). For example, Laotians suffer from horrible poverty, hardship and enormous barriers to success, yet this system grants them far less consideration than a self-identified "black" person with 1/4th African ancestry who hails from an affluent, well-educated family.
From my perspective Northern Virginia is pretty darn white especially for me coming from one of the blackest metropolitan areas in the country. My hometown just became a majority minoirity town and I believe the metropolitan area stands at 40% black. Growing up I always thought that's how the whole country works half black half white with a handful of other ethnicities. I remember being in the third and having my first Asian classmate. She was an oddity and it was an effort not to stare throughout the first few weeks of school. What a difference a couple decades and several hundred miles makes.
Northern Virginia is extremely diverse but I'm usually tempted to roll my eyes when someone (usually white) denies the fact that its still majority white. I remember when I moved up here the culture shock I experienced when I noticed the extreme lack of fellow black faces. It is strange that so many choose to live on the Maryland side. I have indeed gotten the business for living on the VA side. When my mother came to visit she balked at the lack of African American literature at the Barnes and Noble in Tysons Corner. In Columbus, GA the black section of the bookstore is larger and prominent. I remember when I lived in Oakton I'd call a friend everytime I saw a black person. I was ready to call the Post and channel 7! "Black man walks dog in Oakton" film at 11:00.
I remember I was hanging out with a dude in DC in town from the Eastern Shore. Two other dudes asked where we were from. He answered the Eastern Shore. I answered "Oh I live here". I went on to say that I lived in Oakton. Well you would've thought I was the biggest liar judging from their reactions. I was told that I couldn't say "here" if I lived in Virginia that right was taken from me. I was then asked why I lived so far out. My two new drinking buddies went on to suggest hip more appropriate places to live so I wouldn't be so far out.
"Largo is nice. You should move there. Or Upper Marlboro."
I wondered if these boys had ever looked at a map. If they had maybe they'd realize that Largo and Oakton are both equidistance from the District. On and on they went suggesting PG county and Anne Arundell county locales that would result in me not being "so far out". I also get the business from white and Hispanic gay folks about living in Virginia. "Why do you live out there?" This short dude who was totally hitting on me exclaimed in the middle of a bar. "Because my job is in VA." I say. Not that it was any of his gosh darn business. "Oh you should get a job in the city. How can you live out there?"
Being black, gay, and a Northern Virginia resident means always having to say you're sorry it seems.
Last edited by terrence81; 09-16-2011 at 08:58 AM..
African Americans are only about 11-12% of the population. So...the question isn't why aren't there many in NOVA (there are easily 11-13%), it's why so many in DC?
Well we are below the Mason-Dixon line. There was slavery in both Virginia and Maryland. So I'm sure you have plenty of people who have been in this area for generations. The District never had slavery which is why Alexandria and subsequently Arlington were retroceded back to Virginia. Alexandria was a big slave port at one time and there was too much money to be made. Additionally, during the Great Migration earlier in the 20th century, DC was the first stop for many leaving the Deep South.
Again, for me and for many others I'm sure, 12% is a low number and not what I grew up with. So I've asked why so few myself. Fairfax county a county of a million people has about the same number of black people as my hometown of 190,000.
I can't believe the bookstores in Tysons don't carry Invisible Man or Native Son. Or Black Like Me. If so, what a shame!
I always get slightly annoyed when people refer to parts of NOVA as if we're lily white, when we do have a significant number of people of other ethnicities. Are whites still the majority? Well, sure--but then they're still (barely) the majority in the country overall. It is true that in NOVA (esp. Arlington) there are at least as many Asian Americans as African Americans, however.
I can't believe the bookstores in Tysons don't carry Invisible Man or Native Son. Or Black Like Me. If so, what a shame!
I always get slightly annoyed when people refer to parts of NOVA as if we're lily white, when we do have a significant number of people of other ethnicities. Are whites still the majority? Well, sure--but then they're still (barely) the majority in the country overall. It is true that in NOVA (esp. Arlington) there are at least as many Asian Americans as African Americans, however.
Well Arlington is gentrifying a lot of African Americans out of Arlington. I do believe the black population in Arlington actually went down as Arlington has gotten more and more expensive. When I think Asian American I think Centreville and Burke. When I think north Arlington I think white white and white. When I think south Arlington I think Hispanic black and white.
There were some black novels but they was no section dedicated to African Americans. My mom loves black romance novels.
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