The Black Middle Class - Essay Example

Number The Black Middle This paper discusses the various es that exist among the blacks. It gives a brief origin of the black middle class and states two of the construction sites they have built around themselves with time. It discusses what boundary-work is, and explains the boundary work for each of the construction sites. It gives detailed information on both construction sites in relation to the boundary-work. Finally, the paper outlines the similarities and differences between the two construction sites. Color is a major society phenomenon that has greatly influenced growth and community change in the United States. Urban sociology therefore needs to use different strategies to understand the new physical and social changes in the community. The changes have led to formation of three classes in the Black’s community: the black middle lower class, the black middle class and the elite middle class. The definition of these classes is based on their difference in income, whereby the black lower earn less than $50,000, the black middle class earns between $50,000 to 99,999 while the elite earn more than $100000. People of different classes associate themselves with activities that identify them to their classes, for example, the middle class blacks tend to embrace the fact that they are blacks but embrace the middle class white culture identifiers (Lacy, 11). The black middle class historically originated from the black people who worked as slaves in the whites homes. They therefore developed a desire to live as the whites, for example the way they interacted with other people, their profession and charisma. The banishment of slavery led to the blacks living a life that was dependent on the professionalism of the whites. If they needed services, such as hospital services, they had to look for white doctors. These blacks, aware of their difference from the whites, acquired skills to equip their black society since they feared that the low class blacks would interact with the whites in the wrong manner. There was therefore an existing gap between the low class blacks and those in the higher class due to the professionalism. Although they were aware of their limiting black color in the society, they embraced practices of the whites. They interacted amongst themselves but tried to fit in the whites social circles. There was an increase in the number of blacks in the white schools and the white dominated organizations (Lacy, 19). The middle class blacks have therefore embraced some identities in order to fit in the society. They practice classical assimilation in order to prevent discrimination and creation of equal employment opportunities. Two of the construction sites they embrace are schooling in the white’s schools and shopping conduct. The blacks in middle class embrace Boundary-work for each construction site. Boundary-work is the strategies they embrace to set themselves apart from their fellow blacks. These strategies draw them closer to the whites of the middle class and mark a boundary that differentiates them from the blacks of the lower class. They are symbolic in how the group conducts itself around in the society and the interaction with the whites and the blacks. The boundary-work for these blacks’ choice of schools is class-based. They show that they have enough income to educate their children it the whites’ institutions, hence their focus is the middle class title. Assimilation sets them apart from the other groups due to their need of getting the whites education. This is also due to their need of their children to interact with the white world. For the shopping conduct construction site, the boundary work is exclusionary. They strive at showing the society that they stand out from the rest of the blacks and tend to prove the blacks stereotypes, of rudeness and shop lifting, wrong. The middle class blacks tend to introduce their children to the white’s world in order to prevent racism. Their major interest is the adaptation of their children to the white dominant society hence makes their children face racism in the white’s schools. The low class blacks are isolated from the white’s schools, even the best schools in the state, leading to an increase in the gap between the two classes. The blacks in the middle class fit in the white’s schools hence define how the lower class blacks should interact with the whites, for example in Lakewood, parents make their children aware that they are blacks so that they embrace their true identity while taking them to the whites schools. They are therefore able to interact with both worlds (Lacy, 36). Parents base their choice of schools on social mix. They assume that educating their children in the whites’ schools would ensure that their children gain the privilege of developing friendship with the white community. The schools would lead to their achievement in education, which is an added advantage in the white dominated community. They would have equal job opportunities as the whites hence working alongside the professionals in the State. This is because they believe that the blacks are unsuccessful, lack adequate education and lack ambition in pursuing their careers and dreams. They try to engage themselves to the white teachers as equals when they demonstrate their parental capability, interest and knowledge in education. The parents try to create the best learning environment for their children by avoiding the mention of the name racism. They avoid addressing racism and standing up for their fellow blacks because their interest is protection of their children’s well being and such an activity may lead to discrimination against their children (Lacy, 47). Irrespective of the parents’ efforts of creating the best learning environment for their children, there is evidence of racism in these education institutions. The teachers hold low expectations for the black students since they hold on to the stereotype that the white child is better than the black child is. They therefore do not set high standards for the black child since they consider their attainment of average results as sufficient. Teachers discriminate against them because they believe that they are a bad influence to the white child since they are immoral. Blacks are aware of the racial biasness that exists when they go for shopping in the whites’ malls, such as the Lakewood shopping mall. They may also go for shopping in the white’s neighborhoods, such as Colleyville. They do not buy things from the stores, which are associated to the blacks. This brings the class differentiation effect in the society hence a wider gap between the lower and upper blacks social status. The blacks do not only consider classes as a difference of salary but also the mode in which they carry themselves around people and the people they associate themselves with (Lacy, 76). The whites, however, regard all blacks as shoplifters, hence are very observant on every move the blacks make in their shops. The blacks tend to disregard this stereotype and embrace certain identities so that the whites do not confuse them for the poor lowly blacks in the society. They start by carefully dressing since they assume that proper dressing, as the whites do, would make the shop owners associate them to their middle class status. The dressing would make them credible for shopping since their dressing would suggest that they do have adequate money for shopping. They also hold on to the thought that people judge others from their appearance therefore, they dress to gain respect from the white clerks. They also assimilate the whites in the way they talk to the clerks and shop owners. They avoid raising their voice when making complains, as is the customs of the blacks but gently speak to the managers. They use polite language and eliminate any abusive language. They also polish their tones and accent so that they are in the same league as the whites, without considering the fact that they are black (Lacy, 79). In both construction sites, there is evidence of assimilation. The whites hold onto their middle class and try to associate themselves with the whites with whom they are in the same class. They try to alienate themselves from their fellow blacks and try to fit into the white society, for example, they take their children to school in the whites schools and shop in the shopping malls associated to the whites. In both cases, they do this with an intention of minimizing the racial discrimination in the society. They argue that the white society will overlook their color if they change the way they act, dress and handle situations. For example when shopping, they dress in the whites manner, polish their speech and accent. The construction sites are similar in the way the middle class blacks view their fellow blacks in the lower class. They consider them inadequate in the services they offer hence considering the whites services better. They show dislike for some blacks’ characteristics, such as vague and abusive language. In both cases, the blacks evidently embrace all the society’s stereotypes for the blacks. They however try to show the world that they are different by portraying the opposite characteristics, for example in schools, they do not voice their concern on the racial discrimination issue, as is the custom of blacks to voice any racial discrimination, but keep up with it in order to create the best learning environment for their children. There is therefore consideration of the white race as superior. If they lived as blacks do, they would put their interests in improving the lives of blacks in the United States but in these cases, they embrace the whites’ culture, charisma and professionalism. They base their concern on self-interest hence present themselves as a selfish class of blacks. There is a difference between the construction sites on how the blacks deal with products and services. In the white schools, the middle class blacks do not differ with any of the white services. They do not complain on the treatment of their children as immoral beings, or the low expectations of teachers for their children because of fear of racial discrimination against their children. When they go for shopping however, they can complain about the services and quality of products to the clerks or the managers. They voice complains in a white sophisticated manner, where they do not raise their voice and show politeness through their polite language. They remain composed throughout the ordeal without throwing tantrums, as par the stereotype. Work-Cited Lacy, Karyn R. Blue-chip Black: Race Class and Status in the New Black Middle Class. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007. Read More