![]() Black men are significantly less likely to make it into the middle and upper class than their white and Asian-American peers. Of course, the story our report tells is not all rose-colored. This marriage advantage played a role in boosting their later odds of success. Moreover, the US military is also known for its marriage-oriented culture, and we found that black men who served in the military as young men were much more likely to be married later, at ages 29-37, compared to their peers who did not serve. ![]() My only crime was being a black man in America We found that serving in the military was associated with a 72% increase in the odds that black men made it into the middle class or higher as 50-something men.īy providing stable work, good health care, housing, and opportunities for advancement, by championing virtues such as duty, responsibility, loyalty, and perseverance, and by pushing racial integration, the US military has served as an important route into the middle class. Their financial well-being is higher partly because married black women contribute a higher share of income to the household than other married women.Īdding to the chances of black men achieving middle class and higher status is the US military. We found, for instance, that the odds that black men make it to the middle or upper class are at least three times higher for those men who marry, compared to their peers who never married. Tracking black men from young adulthood through their 50s using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, we identified three factors that are associated with their success: education, work, and marriage.īlack men who worked full-time, had some college education, or were married were much more likely to be members of the middle or upper class by the time they got to their 50s. So, what routes are black men taking to make it in America? Alan Jenkins, executive director of Opportunity Agenda, a social justice organization, noted that “Research and experience show that expectations and biases on the part of potential employers, teachers, health care providers, police officers, and other stakeholders influence the life outcomes of millions of black males.” ![]() Racial bias is not just a Starbucks problemĬorrecting overly negative depictions and attitudes regarding black men is important because they shape how black men are treated, and how black men view their potential. In other words, about one-in-two black men in America have reached the middle class or higher. Second, and more importantly, the share of black men in the middle or upper class – as measured by their family income – has risen from 38% in 1960 to 57% today. Our new report, “ Black Men Making It In America,” spotlights two pieces of particular good news about the economic well-being of black men.įirst, the share of black men in poverty has fallen from 41% in 1960 to 18% today. In fact, millions of black men are flourishing in America today. ![]() Mincyĭespite a portrait of race relations that often highlights the negative, especially regarding black men (many Americans, according to a 2006 study by the Washington Post, Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard University, believed that crime, unemployment, and poverty are endemic among African-American men), the truth is that most black men will not be incarcerated, are not unemployed, and are not poor – even if black men are more likely than other men to experience these outcomes. It also brought us our first young bougie Black couple on TV in nice guy Lionel Jefferson and girl next door Jenny Willis.Ronald B. The series was a hit and aired on CBS for many years. Who can forget main character Louise and her upstairs neighbor Helen, who was also Black, dripping in pearls, diamonds, and furs? In this mainstream comedy featuring the irascible (and hilarious) business owner George Jefferson and his wife “Weezie” and the snappy maid Florence living in an Upper East Side “deluxe apartment in the sky.” The actress who played Tootie, Kim Fields, went on to play the sassy Regine on the beloved comedy “Living Single” later in her career.Ī breakthrough in television that hasn’t been seen since. This wasn’t a predominantly Black cast or creator show, but this comedy about a group of girls attending an elite boarding school did perhaps bring the first bougie Black teen to our television screens with the sensitive, perky Tootie, who lived on her roller skates for the first few seasons of the long-running show.
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