My parents came in contact with those type of people all the time, but the "elite" was something my parents never found important enough to talk about in our household. It is very sad that once again we have found something to separate us as a people. I agree 100% with lovesupreme08.

The reality about a lot of the Black elite is that they do not know any different from the lives they are living everyday. It is not that they intend to become disliked by 'commoners.' It's just that they are accustomed to behaving and responding in a specific way to each situation and every single person around them behaves the exact same way!!

The people who are truly part of this community do not flaunt their money. Their behavior is dictated by the unspoken rules that have governed the lives of their families forever. This class did not develop as a means to further segregate our race. It simply evolved because of a group of people who have a heritage of wealth and choose to deal only with others on that level.

I was raised in a family deeply rooted in the Black elite of my city. I rejected the whole community early on, at least the social aspect. I could not do anything about the schools I went to, the activities I participated in, or the people I knew. I moved away from my city because I disliked this way of life so much, but not enough children of the Black elite make this choice. It is much more comfortable to live the life of wealth, plenty, and status than have to do things for yourself, based upon merit. They are comfortable with their lives and behavior. I personally saw more for myself and I kinda rebelled to show that I could be successful without using my name or family. So, I moved somewhere where no one knew me or anything about me.

But please believe that the Black elite exists and its roots go deep into the children and families. It is difficult to escape the lifesyle because of the ridicule your family may experience based on your choices. It is one thing to be wealthy, but to be part of the elite class in a city brings additional demands on your emotions, behavior, and life. I have to say that unfortunately many of its members do not try to be snobs, they just don't know any other way of life or behavior.

Re: Re: Re: ttt
 

This is ridiculous. I imagine the people he "wants" to nominate themselves have nothing to do with him. It's one thing to recognize that a Black elite exists, but an online registry? What's that about? :confused: :rolleyes:

The man just tries too hard.

Re: Re: Re: Re: ttt
 

Dude tries waaaay tooo hard. I still think he resents not having a chance to experience what he considers a full black boogie (sic) life, and it does come through in the book. :rolleyes:

I would be curious, however, to know who may end up on that registry.

TTT/elite party
 

New York Times story featuring the children of the late Commerce Secretary Ron Brown (who was in an NIC fraternity, piece of trivia). Tracey Brown is 2nd from left in photo:
http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/...31comp.583.jpg
August 31, 2003
GOOD COMPANY
A Sag Harbor Sister-Fest
By LINDA LEE


SAG HARBOR, N.Y.

YOU could say that Morris Reid didn't so much give a party for Tracey L. Brown last weekend as take one — from a client, a liquor conglomerate, eager to back a series of get-togethers. Such is the nature of Hamptons entertaining that the purpose is not just a fun night out but sometimes to promote an agenda — in this case, putting certain brands into the hands of the right crowd. And this was the right crowd. Ms. Brown, a lawyer and author, is the daughter of Ronald H. Brown, commerce secretary under Bill Clinton, who died in 1996 in a plane crash in Croatia.

The party was held in the five-bedroom waterfront house belonging to Alma Brown, Ms. Brown's mother. It was built in 1998 in a neighborhood that is a home to many prominent African-Americans, including the lawyer Johnny Cochran; the lifestyle guru B. Smith :D ; Earl Graves Jr., the founder of Black Enterprise magazine :D; and Susan Taylor, the editor of Essence magazine.

"In the Hamptons, the whites have their place, and this is ours — we're not all P. Diddy," said Lisa Bonner, an entertainment lawyer based in Los Angeles and once Ms. Brown's classmate at Boston College.

At 6:30, Ms. Brown, 35, was in the dining area managing traffic, talking to the servers and doing one seating chart after another. And fretting about her carefully cultivated tan.

"I went yesterday and had a massage," she said. "And they came to me and said, `We're trying something new — would you like a microdermabrasion?' And it felt great, but when I was done they had exfoliated my beautiful tan. So I sat out today :eek: and worked on my tan." And she fended off Ms. Bonner's advice about her closets. "You had a skort in there," Ms. Bonner said.

"It is not," Ms. Brown insisted. "It's a short jumpsuit. And my stylish grandmother taught me that everything comes back."

The party was supposed to start at 7:30, but it had been a splendid day for golf, sailing and swimming, and people wandered in late. Dini von Mueffling, a journalist, arrived with a tub of salad and Matt Gohd, an adviser to Dr. Howard Dean of Vermont. "I'm the really rude guest who brought her own dinner," she said. "I'm on the raw food diet."

The servers passed around trays of chicken satay with peanut sauce from Barefoot Contessa in East Hampton to guests on the patio, facing Sag Harbor Bay. Mr. Reid, the host, who is a Washington political strategist, and his wife, Jaci, arrived from their house in East Hampton. This was his fifth Hamptons party this summer. He removed a cigar from his mouth and said, "Most have been at my house, but two have been done at someone else's — they invite their friends, and I fill in with other guests."

He underlined the intentional mix. "It's a diverse crowd," he said, "a real cross section." If a cross section can range from merely successful to wildly successful.

Ms. von Mueffling was first at the buffet table; she loaded a plate with steak and mushroom sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus. "It's for Matt," she said quickly, referring to her date.

Ms. Brown's brother, Michael A. Brown, who is a Washington lobbyist, arrived from the golf course in time to eat. "I heard the cowbell," he said. Ed Johnson, an investment banker, skidded in at 9:20. "These two weeks are like cocktail party central," he said. "You say yes, and then you've got too many commitments."

With the guests seated at a long table on the terrace, just above the bay, fireworks erupted in celebration of the Sag Harbor Fire Department's 200th birthday — and immediately stopped. "That's all I could afford," Michael Brown joked.

He stood up. "This is a celebration dinner," he said. "First of all, my sister has a job. So give her a big hand for that." Ms. Brown, formerly a district attorney in Los Angeles, will join Mr. Cochran's law firm after Labor Day. "And," he said, "she's almost finished with her second book," a novel about the Hotel Theresa in Harlem.

The fireworks began again, and he sat down, saying, "I see my credit card worked — it's all part of the whole Tracey-fest environment."

Before the peaches poached in Cognac and served with vanilla ice cream, Mr. Brown stood up one more time to talk about his sister. And then for a moment he turned serious.

"One thing we need to remember," he said. "Forty years ago was the March on Washington," when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. People around the table applauded lightly, and continued to celebrate the good life.



Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company | Home | Privacy Policy | Search | Corrections | Help | Back to Top

Re: The Black Elite
 

I read the book. Many (if not most) of those featured appear to descend from the "nouveau riche" of the very late 1800s/early 1900s, rather than what is traditionally considered "old money". As such, one might conclude that these individuals are only PERPing "elite" status, but ...at least they're having fun doing it?

Re: The Black Elite
 

Is she serious? How does she think she got where she is? There was once upon a time when all blacks were considered to be the lowest class. And we're still being looked at that way. And I know full well there's someone with more money, more class, more success than her who's she is associating or has assoicated with to get to the next level.

Re: TTT/elite party
 

Tracey went to Howard when I was there. Good peeps. But she needs to a hairdo and a dress with better coverage.

Re: Re: The Black Elite
 

Southernelle,

There is a bit of a conundrum with your statement re dates for nouveau riche and old money. Um, prior to the late 1800s, most AAs were in a bit of a jam with that whole slavery thing, if you know what I mean. Therefore, how many AAs would fit into the old money category if you had to be rich (and be AFRICAN-AMERICAN) **before** the late **1800s**? :confused:

The Black Elite = Phoney
 

Agreed. This is why things like what happened during Katrina can happen - because we do not stick together as a people. It's enough that other races discriminate against us - we don't need to segregate ourselves by class. It's to the point that other minorities are openly discriminating against us.



:mad:

Re: Re: Re: The Black Elite
 

Very few, SummerChild, but these few did acquire freedom and relative wealth long before 1865. These were, at least in my view, the original 'talented tenth'.

I don't defend elitist behavior on the part of any people but if there ever was a group to claim an aristocratic-like status in our communities it would be the descendants of these, not those of the new money crowd.

oprah

Re: Re: Re: Re: The Black Elite
 

Hello Southernelle25,
I guess (re those that acquired wealth before 1865). Really I don't care about whose old money, new money. I mostly care about who has no money (which is way too many of us) but was just wondering how many of this type that you mentioned were in existence before 1865. We're always finding something to separate over so I guess that this is really no different. We really need to come together b/c as Chris Rock said, most of us are really just *rich* -if that - not wealthy.

^^^ True, SummerChild. That is a point that I agree can be missed in these sorts of discussions.

Re: Re: TTT/elite party
 

Tracey and her new husband are featured in the November issue of Town and Country on the wedding pages. She looks pretty.