African American Social Class

There is much debate about the issue of social class in the United States. There are arguments about whether social classes are distinctly separate or fluid, dependent upon one’s community or society as a whole, and if they are subjective or objective (Hughes and Jenkins). However, despite the debate surrounding social classes, it is still important to try to define them and analyze their effects, as they are such an important part of our identity and our opportunities in society. Although our society has tried to appear as though we have no classes, and it is becoming harder to tell what class someone is in by material goods, classes do still exist today (Scott and Leonhardt). The trend has been to divide the U.S. into four major

Understanding that the poverty of black Americans did not just stay within the home is a big step in understanding urban poverty. Urban poverty reached outside the home, into the parks, schools and playgrounds. With poverties reach being that extensive, there was something other than adversity causing this. Louis Gates wrote an article about this called “Black America and The Class Divide.” (Jr.)

Americans of African descent still have limited economic freedom, even after the end of the civil war on Monday. The hugest or in other words the most serious problem after the Civil War it was hard work. After the Civil War, Americans of African descent in this release, but we do not know where exactly to go, especially in the south. They traveled far, but some remained and hard work because they did not have anywhere to go and no one to see. Also, they were not able to get all of their land, and thus began the cycle of poverty known as sharecropping. War in South Africa to prevent Americans from exercising civil and political rights - is another example of a border post is passed Black Codes which were discriminatory

Majority of the African Americans living in cities throughout North America suffered from economic and social inequality. In addition, due to poverty and degrading public service in these urban areas, where the residents were exposed to poor living conditions, unemployment, chronic health problems,

This nation has a history of oppressing African Americans, as seen during antebellum slavery and the Jim Crow era, and despite the gains made during the Civil Rights movement, African Americans continue to find themselves under the control of whites. Because students of color have become the prime targets of overly strict policies, generations of African American students have been relegated to an oppressed underclass of people intensely surveilled by law enforcement; suspensions, expulsions, and dropping out directly translate to lower educational attainment and lower socioeconomic status later in life so African Americans are forced into an impoverished underclass that has been created as a means of control.

The article Being Poor, Black and American: The Impact of Political, Economic, and Cultural Forces written by William Julius Wilson is about the struggles and inequalities African Americans living in poverty encounter. Wilson discussed political, economic and cultural forces that have an impact on American impoverished communities. The author suggested the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina brought the media and world attention to poverty in the United States. Prior to Katrina, the author believes Americans did not focus or sympathize with poor communities. This unsympathetic attitude stems from the belief that people are poor because they did not work hard enough, or are not doing anything to get out of that situation. After Katrina, Americans started to notice and care about the impoverished communities because the hurricane was a natural disaster and out of their control. Overall, the author explains how politics, economics and cultures forced many families into poverty, and diminishes the idea that people live in poverty because of their own shortcomings.

Throughout history we have seen an increased number of theories arise, with respect to black civil rights and social equality. We turn to facts and previous events to gain a social experience of racial identity (or lack thereof). Racial identity is an important factor as to why a certain group or minority may seek social progress. The human race has always had traditions, sexuality, and culture. It is post war America where the critical race theory played a major role in limiting these key differences.

The social forces that these races have faced may have been a struggle to us after reading about them but for them who have lived through it could possibly have seen it as a test they had to pass to survive. For the African Americans, the characteristic that best resides with them and that they could not fully obtain was love. Their social force was families were torn apart making it so that they could never see each other again. The reason I say that this was a social force for them was because the children would have been taken from their families sometimes at a young age. To those children, if they were not taught that no matter what happens their parents love them, they would have thought their parents did not care for them and just let

The African American group has been seen to have lower status in contrast to white individuals. Today, the stratification or chain of importance contrast between blacks and whites is still present.

In his discussion on poverty among African Americans, William Wilson has identified several historical factors that have contributed to the increase in poverty levels in the recent years. Such factors included, first, shift in the American economy from industrial to informational economy, thus limited the labor poll to only highly specialized individuals; second, the historical flow of migrants, and what it bring with it from competition over limited amount of resources; third, change in the urban minority age structure, where individuals who are underage are the majority in both Hispanic and African American poor communities, Fourth, population change in the inner city; and finally, the class transformation of inner city, where middle class African Americans, have left the inner city and moved towards other middle class neighborhoods, thus, leaving behind a concentration of poor and underclass African Americans in inner cities all across the United States.

As a New England woman of post-American Revolution, I expect that America will end its restrictive customs towards women and that women of all social classes will have the opportunity to obtain equal rights, in which women previously did not have. Formerly, men controlled all public institutions, including government, legislatures, and juries. Men did not allow women to have the freedom to express their opinions on public issues. In fact, women of the upper class engaged in debate with opinions through diaries and letters. However, it would be a pleasure for all women to be able to engage in politics rather than just the upper class. Specifically, they can participate in public debates and hold the same jobs that men had during pre-Revolution.

slavery. A form of slavery which was predicated on the belief that African Americans were

From what I've read, I learned how the social status of blacks was back then. They didn't seem to have any opportunities at all. Being black was probably the worst thing that could've happen to them. And I say this because in this article, a black person mentions how being a poor person was better than being from a poor race, black.

The article “Television, Black Americans, and the American Dream” explained how Black Americans have been represented in the media and television. The media has shifted our understanding of racial inequality away from a structured process. This makes it seem as though racial inequality is “natural and universal rather than as result of social and political struggles over power” (Gray, p. 431). This is illustrated in the CBS News documentary The Vanishing Family: Crisis in Black America by following the lives of underclass, single parents. It highlights drugs, riots, and teenage pregnancy to show that

The United States is often seen by many as a country of equal opportunity. A place where social classes do not exist. Unfortunately, thoughts such as these are wrong because the US is far from being the only country to escape this exception. When observed closely there are signs that each person manifests that distinctively show what social class they belong to. Although money is the most common marker of class, education along with health related topics such as heart disease and eating habits are strong inicators of class.