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Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class
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Review
“A must read casts an unblinking eye on America’s black elite.” (Publisher's Weekly)“A provocative and important study of the world of priviliged African Americans.” (New York Post)“Captivating...From debutante cotillions and the right vacation spots to who’s in and who’s not.” (Los Angeles Magazine)
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From the Back Cover
Debutante cotillions. Million-dollar homes. Summers in Martha's Vineyard. Membership in the Links, Jack & Jill, Deltas, Boule, and AKAs. An obsession with the right schools, families, social clubs, and skin complexion. This is the world of the black upper class and the focus of the first book written about the black elite by a member of this hard-to-penetrate group.Author and TV commentator Lawrence Otis Graham, one of the nation's most prominent spokesmen on race and class, spent six years interviewing the wealthiest black families in America. He includes historical photos of a people that made their first millions in the 1870s. Graham tells who's in and who's not in the group today with separate chapters on the elite in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Nashville, and New Orleans. A new Introduction explains the controversy that the book elicited from both the black and white communities.
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Product details
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (December 22, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060984384
ISBN-13: 978-0060984380
Product Dimensions:
5.3 x 1 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.2 out of 5 stars
220 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#51,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
I have to fully admit that this was a hard read at times. As a black woman who grew up poor it is especially hard to confirm what you have always known as a child--that there is a Black Elite. I will start with the good in this book. Half of what Graham mentions from a historical standpoint I already knew, not because I have a degree in History but from research I'd done on my own. This book taps into the history rarely taught to mainstream America in general such as the Les Gens De Couleur Libres and the Black Republicans of the South. Also, Graham does an excellent job of listing the ways in which black elites attained their fortunes, either through an inheritance from the Master or from hard work. He gives excellent examples of blacks who were determined to be the best that they could be while they persevere against the segregation and injustices of the time. His thorough knowledge and insight is the reason that I have given him four stars.Now to the bad stuff. I was none too thrilled by the comments that his great grandmother made, especially the part about (paraphrasing) "Nappy head negroes protesting". What did she think they were supposed to do? The protests of that generation weren't as violent as the black youth of today. This books was not an eye opener of the black elites, particularly the ones who subscribe to the light, bright and damn near white because I can recall those very people looking down on me as a child. What I did find shocking is their indignation of how whites treating blacks as a whole while they lived in comfort, criticizing the average black person along the way. I can understand that a large majority of blacks may have been deserving of some of the criticism due to playing out some of the stereotypes leveled against them. However, I could not reconcile the idea of makes white people feel guilty when elite blacks wanted no part of ghetto children either.I found the identity crisis of black elites in this text disheartening and at times felt some empathy for them. It must have been difficult to be educated and affluent while having to apologize to lower class blacks who viewed them as sell outs. Conversely, it must have felt bad proving that you are just as good as your white counterparts yet hardly ever receiving recognition of such achievements. The problem I could not get past is the argument that you sympathized with the average black person while trying to pretend that you were not black. Not all of the black elites engage in such behavior. To use myself for example, I grew up poor but I am the only black person on my block. After an 8 year military career, graduating from the University of Washington and being the only black person on my dead end street, I also subscribe to staying away from those who draw too much attention, are loud, ghetto, crass and looking for trouble.Here's the difference between myself as a successful person and others. While I would not act the way a lot of black people do in the media, I am not ashamed to be black. When you start bleaching your skin, getting nose jobs to look white, passing for white and living as a white person and telling relatives to stay out of the sun because they will get "too black" you have taken it too far. Graham's accounts were honest. I am happy that some naturally light skinned people recognized the harm on behaving in such a manner. However, if you are going to look down on a part of what you are and cannot control don't blame white people for doing it too. Overall, this is a good read and a good conversation piece for all who may want to understand a hidden aspect of history or have a book club.
I found this book to be very interesting and quite intriguing to know that there is a sub-class within a class. I am much aware of our African American history and understand how class and shades of black played a pivotal role in the make-up of our History. However, what I did not know was the different clubs and social functions that were exclusive to these individuals based on pedigree.I just finished reading "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration" by Isabel Wilkerson that chronicles the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled South for northern and western cities in search for a better life from 1915 to 1970. This book is definitely a necessary read. . Nevertheless, there is a stark difference between the two books. The Warmth of the Other Suns details the struggles and success of African Americans that was able to make a way through hard work and education. While this book would not allow those same people to be accepted into their elite society because they do not possess the same pedigree, yet they come from the same struggles.I do admire the author for having the courage to write this book and appreciate yet another learning experience as part of my African American history. Several things I will note are that there is plenty of name-dropping as well as repetitive overtones in the flow of his writing. Therefore, I found myself skipping a few of the pages because the same thing was already mentioned in previous chapters. In addition, the flow of the book tends to be a bit choppy in various sections but overall I understood his point.I read many of the reviews both negative and positive, so you will need to have an open mind while reading and just take it with a grain of salt. It is what it is and this is just another story in the life and times of African American History.Happy Reading!
I'm an old white woman who has had very little opportunity to interact with black society other than in a work environment. The world has changed since my youth and I was grateful to be able to read this book. I have always been aware that there was no "separate, but equal" nor recognition under the Constitution as a full person, no qualitative administration of the 13th and 14th Amendments during our history, but have been amazed at how black society has brought to the fore their talents and wisdom. This book explains much of that and they are a group of people who truly understand the concepts of networking and cooperation and its relevancy to success. On the flip side, I also saw some protective styles of bigotry in the book. That being said, we are all products of our environment and society and some are simply able to transcend it. Kudos
This work provides a comprehensive who's who of the American Black elite, and a much-appreciated tutorial in their professional and social institutions. Here is a segment of society that most of us are unaware of in its totality. Their clubs, associations and institutions have evolved as highly-insular, effective educational and philanthropic groups by necessity. Outlining the history and activities of the Black elite city-by-city, the author enhances the reader's knowledge through his own family's experiences. Well-written and recommended.
Thank you Mr Graham for following Mr Lewis advice to write this book. My professors sent their kid to Camp Atwater, engaged in numerous clubs and sent their kids to Howard, Spellman and Morehouse. When I enrolled in Howard in 1961, I was thrown in with students wearing mink coats and mink check books, new cars and 4.0 GPA. I was out of my element and until I read your book - I have been going up the down elevator. Thank you so very much
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