The Black Elite

[kitten03]

Ideal,
Thanks for the topic. You just gave me a great idea for a fellowship i'm applying for.

[kisses]

Ideal,
I have read the book and I felt that in a lot of ways it was very acurate. I attended a an HBCU with a reputation of snobbiness. There was a large number of students who had parents that belonged to Links and were Jack and Jill members. I was not even close to living that type of life when I was growing up. Consequently, I often felt out of place at school. Some of these people were just like anyone else while some of them were very uppity. Often times people just assumed because I attended that school that I too had that mentality. However, just as stated before, Blacks often times fall into the materialistic, classist devisive mentality that whites have. I think Mr. Graham was merely giving us a chance to see a segment of our community that is often off limits to the average African American.

------------------

[Eclipse]

Originally posted by kisses:
Ideal,
I have read the book and I felt that in a lot of ways it was very acurate. I attended a an HBCU with a reputation of snobbiness. There was a large number of students who had parents that belonged to Links and were Jack and Jill members. I was not even close to living that type of life when I was growing up. Consequently, I often felt out of place at school. Some of these people were just like anyone else while some of them were very uppity. Often times people just assumed because I attended that school that I too had that mentality. However, just as stated before, Blacks often times fall into the materialistic, classist devisive mentality that whites have. I think Mr. Graham was merely giving us a chance to see a segment of our community that is often off limits to the average African American.

kisses,
May I ask what school you attended? I ask because my alma mater had/has the same rep, but I found, for the most part, for it to be untrue while I was a student there.

[Poplife]

Originally posted by kisses:
I attended a an HBCU with a reputation of snobbiness. There was a large number of students who had parents that belonged to Links and were Jack and Jill members.

I think I know what school you're talking about. I have a friend there.

[Ideal08]

Originally posted by kitten03:
Ideal,
Thanks for the topic. You just gave me a great idea for a fellowship i'm applying for.

No prob!!

[The Original Ape]

Originally posted by Ideal08:
Sorors & SF's,

Has anyone read the book Our Kind of People? I think that's the name of it, by Lawrence Graham. I hope I have that down, but anywho... I have been reading bits and pieces of that book, and many parts of it distress me. I was wondering how you all feel on the topic of the Black Elite, or elitism at all for that manner. I feel like in striving to have more (and there is never anything wrong with that), our people many times try to emulate White Americans (slave mentality, another post for another day). This one lady in the book even said that if [affluent] White people don't associate with middle/lower class/blue collar whites, so why should she associate with those same Black counterparts? The idea of separatism based on class is simply beyond me, but I would like to get a better understanding of it, regardless of whether I agree with it.

So help me sistas! Is anyone in here from an elite social class family? Any one's mom a Link? Summers on Martha's Vineyard? Were you in Jack and Jill growing up?

I can't wait to see your responses!! This whole thing is so interesting to me!!!

As if we NEED another enemey trying to divide us! Throughout our time here in this country, generation after generation, we black folk have allowed other groups' problems to affect us; and it's impact always is magnified tenfold when it's with us. WEB Dubois and his theory of which direction we should go after Reconstruction vs. Booker T's idea; then there was the brother from Jamaica with THE BLACK BEAUTY, a ship that would take us all back home to Africa; then there was the Separation vs. Integration argument; then Martin's non-violent way vs. Malcolm's way; then wannabees vs. jigaboos and finally rich needroes vs. all other needroes.

Being black use to not be an option; today-with that kind of discussion going on-it may be.

[AKA2D '91]

You know what I have found?

I hope I don't step on anyone's shoes....

Many of the people I knew who's parents were the "So-called elite", today, they (the kids) aren't doing better than anyone else! In fact, some of them, I know are "barely getting by, BARELY MAKING IT". Even a STATISTIC!

I know WHO I AM AND WHOSE I AM! That's just as Elite as being a Link, SLINK, DINK, OR FINK! LOL; AND having my kids in Jack and Jill, PILL, LILL, OR DILL! LOL LOL

In the END, ALL OF THIS WON'T MATTER! THAT WILL ONLY BE SECONDARY!

[Teresa2000]

I know what you mean. I grew up around a lot of "Jack and Jill" kids and they went to the same university that I did. When we graduate we will be going to the same law schools, med schools, grad schools, etc... The point is, this new economy has made a lot of 'new rich' and the Clinton admin. made it a lot easier for poor kids to go to college. I think all that elitist stuff did matter in the past but now it kind of obsolete!

-Teresa

[The Original Ape]

Originally posted by AKA2D '91:
You know what I have found?

I hope I don't step on anyone's shoes....

Many of the people I knew who's parents were the "So-called elite", today, they (the kids) aren't doing better than anyone else! In fact, some of them, I know are "barely getting by, BARELY MAKING IT". Even a STATISTIC!

I know WHO I AM AND WHOSE I AM! That's just as Elite as being a Link, SLINK, DINK, OR FINK! LOL; AND having my kids in Jack and Jill, PILL, LILL, OR DILL! LOL LOL

In the END, ALL OF THIS WON'T MATTER! THAT WILL ONLY BE SECONDARY!

Could it be a generation thing? Could it be that the parents of today spoiled their children in so many ways(i.e. not makin' them clean up, GIVING their children money MOST of the time-instead of MAKING THEM EARN IT, etc.)?

[AKA_Monet]

Originally posted by AKA2D '91:
You know what I have found?

I hope I don't step on anyone's shoes....

Many of the people I knew who's parents were the "So-called elite", today, they (the kids) aren't doing better than anyone else! In fact, some of them, I know are "barely getting by, BARELY MAKING IT". Even a STATISTIC!

I know WHO I AM AND WHOSE I AM! That's just as Elite as being a Link, SLINK, DINK, OR FINK! LOL; AND having my kids in Jack and Jill, PILL, LILL, OR DILL! LOL LOL

In the END, ALL OF THIS WON'T MATTER! THAT WILL ONLY BE SECONDARY!

YAH KNOW!!!! I'm like DAYUM!!! These are the kids that are SUPPOSED to make it!!! Instead, it's the opposite!!! The kids I grew up with... Ghetto games 2000... Few, and I can count them on my fingers, are where we are s'pose to be at in our lives... The other ones--crack addicts, one killed himself, have 4 kids by different men before the age of 25, homeless, strugglin' with the drug crystal meth or ECSTASY... Arrested for raping somebody. Contracted HIV thru IV drug use... Gave it to 5 different partners... Just dumb stuff. It kinda hurts 'cuz the outta of the men, their ain't nobody to date. Then outta the women, the bruhs don't wanna date so they date other women with less problems. My friends and I are always discussing that constantly because now we're at the age group that are supposed to start taking leadership positions in the city... Oh well...

[Steeltrap]

As usual, the ol' lady is late to the party, but I bought Our Kind of People last night at a Borders in Orange County and started reading it. I'm already up to the chapter that discusses Sigma Pi Phi.

I can see where members of the post-1913 NPHC organizations would be p****d at Mr. Graham's analysis. There was also a big error in his list of NPHC organizations. The book was published in 1999, three years after Iota Phi Theta was admitted to the NPHC, he or his editor should have caught that.

It's been a learning experience for me. I want to read the chapter about black elite in Los Angeles, because I think I may have peripherally known a few of these people when I was at USC.

[oneinamillion]

I purchased and read the book in 1999. Like alot of you I wasn't familiar with alot of "our folk" going to Martha's vineyard's and etc. The only folks I knew who captivated that territory were The JFK clan.
Nevertheless, I'm glad this topic was brought up because I got the feeling by reading the book that Mr. Graham has some issues. I believe (I'm not sure) that he has had plastic surgery to alter his appearance. I was trying to find a site on him about 4 weeks ago.

[NinjaPoodle]

I purchased the book as soon as it came out (hardcover). I caught the Iota thing too. I think it's a good read for those not familiar with these type of orgs.

I volunteer with the Northern California Sickle Cell Community Health Network (by way of the summer camp). Not to long after I purchased the book, there was a national sickle cell conference here in San Francisco. So, a lot of Dr's, PhD’s, etc..were attending this event(mostly Af-American). I volunteered to register participants and brought the book with me for those slow moments.

Well, I'm sitting there behind the table reading when two women came up to me and questioned me about the book. I don't remember all of the conversation however I do remember one of the women stating that her grandmother was interviewed for the book and although she[the grandmother] was one of the MANY anonymous people quoted in the book, she didn’t appreciate the way Mr. Graham quoted her. Then the two women just walked away. Okayy...whatever.

What I say is take the book for what it is. Written archived information. Use the information to your advantage or don’t.

Speaking in general terms, our black elite may not have the best attitude towards others in lower economic/social classes but they hold high positions in our society i.e.; CEO's of fortune 5 companies, judges, corporate lawyers, etc..If they(black elite) weren’t there, the black masses would be complaining about not being represented.

Every ethnic group of people in America has its elite. Why can't we?

FYI
It's interesting that this thread was bumped up because I just mailed off my copy to a friend in Nashville who hasn’t read it yet.

[oneinamillion]

I didn't even realized that it was an older thread until I posted and noticed the dates . But it still is a good topic!

[9dstpm]

Back in MS, I dated a guy who was, by my small hometown's standards, one of the elite. now by the book's standards, they would not b/c they were not born rich. His family lived in a big house in the "good" (read:white) part of the town and his father was the vice president of one of the few factories too. His mom was in a lot of the prominent (white) organizations and was heavily involved in the school system's politics. However, I guess some of the "old guard" didn't like her too much because she tried to join one of the "right" sororities and got denied. She hated my guts because she felt that I wasn't the "right kind" for her son. I think this was b/c I attended a state school and had a child while her son attended a HBCU that had a snotty rep as one SF stated earlier. When her son wanted to marry me, she lost her mind and started pushing all kinds of "suitable" girls on him. When that didn't work, she cut him off financially and he almost had to drop out of his fancy school. In the end, he decided that money and security and making the "right" impression were more important than love. One of our mutual friends e-mailed me and told me that the guy had married the "right" kind of girl and he is unhappy. He is in a career that his parents thought was "right" for him and he works for his father now. He also tried to join one of the "right" fraternities and was turned down. Our friend passed on some info about how I was doing and when his mother heard about it, she didn't sound at all happy that the "wrong" kind of girl is doing so well for herself.