American Black Upper Class
Encyclopedia
The American Black Upper Class consists of African American
professionals in fields such as law
, medicine
, business
and entertainment
that have incomes that amount to $100,000 or more. This class, sometimes referred to as the black upper-middle-class or The black elite
, represents less than 1 percent of the total black population in the United States.
This group of African Americans has a history of organizations and activities that distinguish it from other classes within the black community as well as from the white upper class. Many of these traditions, which have persisted for several generations, are discussed in Lawrence Otis Graham
’s 2000 book, Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class.
Scholarship on this class from a sociological perspective is generally traced to E. Franklin Frazier
's Black Bourgeoisie ( first edition in English in 1957 translated from the 1955 French original).
. In addition to this group, numbers of Africans escaped to freedom during the instability of the American Revolution. Others were manumitted by their enslavers. The free black community in the U.S. had therefore increased considerably by 1800, and although most of these free people were very poor, some were able to acquire farmland or to learn mechanical or artistic trades.
Some runaway slaves served in the Civil War for the Union and at the conclusion of the war, some of those African-American soldiers received 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) and a mule which contributed to land ownership among African Americans following the Emancipation
of slaves.
Other former slaves, often light-skinned former house slaves who shared ancestry with their onetime owners and who had acquired marketable skills such as cooking and tailoring, worked in domestic fields or were able to open small businesses such as restaurants and catering firms. Some free blacks in the North also founded small businesses and even newspapers. The members of these families were able to get a head-start on those blacks who were essentially still enslaved by their lack of access to wealth accumulation, particularly when it came to owning their own land.
As a result of Jim Crow laws that prohibited certain rights if a person was of African heritage, many African-Americans were forced to be enterprising by establishing businesses that served their own people. Some of those businesses included black-owned hotels, insurance agencies, funeral homes and various retail stores. A "Black Wall Street" once existed in Tulsa, Oklahoma
; and the Georgetown area of Washington D.C. was known for its affluent African American professionals during segregation. In fact, the level of business ownership among African-Americans was the highest during the era of legal segregation. Owing to integration following the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act
, many black-owned businesses suffered because of their inability to compete with white-owned establishments that had better access to financing.
in the 1860s, organizations like the American Missionary Association
, which had sponsored elementary schools for Southern blacks, established some of the first historically black colleges and universities
. These included Fisk University
, Hampton Institute, Tuskegee Institute and Tougaloo College
. Those who attended these schools, as well as such other black colleges as Howard University
, Morehouse College
and Spelman College
, were able to acquire skills and academic knowledge that put them in a distinctly different class. Lincoln University, PA founded in 1854, and Wilberforce University
founded in 1856, were the only black colleges operational prior to the American Civil War
, these schools were located in the North. There had been, however, a few predominantly white colleges, such as Oberlin College
in Ohio
and Berea College
in Kentucky
in the south, that had accepted black students even before the war, and their black graduates had been given a head start on economic stability.
Since the founding of the historically black schools, often attended originally by the children of skilled former slaves who'd been able to establish businesses or farms in the post-war period, several generations of many families have often become alumni of Howard, Fisk, Tuskegee, Dillard, Hampton, Morehouse, and Spelman. While today there are well over one hundred historically black colleges and universities (HBCU's) in the U.S., these early institutions have consistently been the favorites for upper-class blacks. Howard University and Morehouse College, in particular, have been considered by the Black intelligentsia
to be the premier historically black colleges.
However, since integration, the majority of the black upper class have attended predominantly white colleges and universities.http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/04/19/hbcu Although, as researchers have noted, "in the first time period covered by the scholars, black colleges were attracting significant numbers of students from professional, middle-class black families [these people] are now the students who are cherry-picked by highly selective, prestigious institutions that weren’t looking for them in the 1970s", said Michael L. Lomax, president of the United Negro College Fund.http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/04/19/hbcu
A small number of free blacks during the 19th century were also admitted into private, predominately white institutions such as Harvard
, Amherst
and, again, Oberlin College
.
fraternity, also known as the "Boule," was established as the first Greek-letter society for African Americans. Within the decade undergraduate
college students established fraternities and sororities
as small, selective social groups that later developed an emphasis on scholarship and social activism.
Today, there are a total of nine historically black sororities and fraternities that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council
, sometimes referred to as the “Divine Nine.” The organizations include Alpha Phi Alpha
(1906), Alpha Kappa Alpha
(1908), Kappa Alpha Psi
(1911), Omega Psi Phi
(1911), and Delta Sigma Theta
(1913) and Phi Beta Sigma
(1914), Zeta Phi Beta
(1920), Sigma Gamma Rho
(1922), and Iota Phi Theta (1963).
Some argue that historically black Greek organizations differ from those that are traditionally all-white because of their importance to blacks long after they have left their respective colleges and universities.
Graham said in his book, Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class, that these sororities and fraternities “are a lasting identity, a circle of lifetime friends, a base for future political and civic activism”.
One of the most notable is Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
, an elite mother's club for African American women founded in Philadelphia, PA in 1938 by a group of upper-class mothers who wanted to bring their children together to experience a variety of educational, social and cultural opportunities, which, due to segregation and racism, were not otherwise readily available to African American children, regardless of the socio-economic status of their parents. Today, there are around 218 chapters across the United States and the world. Roughly 30,000 parents and children participate through 9,500 mothers who hold membership. Separated into age groups, children attend monthly activities extensively planned by the mothers of that age group, which may include philanthropic endeavors/community service, pool parties, ski weekends, theater, museums, lectures, college tours, etc. Membership is by invitation-only and, even then, not guaranteed due to the extensive candidate selection process, which may last a year or longer and may include a vote by existing members. Membership is limited to mothers of children between the ages of 2-19. Annual costs of membership, including dues and activity fees, may easily reach thousands of dollars.
The LINKS, Incorporated, founded in 1946, requires that each of its members accumulate a substantial number of volunteer hours, and is also known for its numerous annual social activities including debutante cotillions, fashion show luncheons, auctions and balls. Women interested in joining any of the local chapters must be nominated by a current member. Most members are philanthropists, college presidents, judges, doctors, bankers, lawyers, executives, educators or the wives of well-known public figures. There are currently about 12,000 members in 273 chapters in 42 states.
The Girl Friends, Inc., was founded in 1927 in New York City
. The group, composed of many individuals from well-respected black upper class families, has many philanthropic and cultural activities that include raising money for charities and also sponsors social activities for its members. It includes about 40 chapters in major American cities such as Chicago
, Los Angeles
and Atlanta. There are around 1,300 members. Women are admitted after being nominated by at least two existing members and then approved by at least two-thirds of that particular chapter.
Other prominent women's groups include the Continental Societies, Inc., The Drifters, Inc., the CARATS, Incorporated, The Moles, Inc.,The Pierians, The Carousels, Top Ladies of Distinction(TLOD), the National Smart Set, The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Club, Inc. and the Northeasterners.
There are also a few organizations founded specifically for upper class black men. Some of these include the Sigma Pi Phi Boule
, 100 Black Men of America
, the Comus Social Club, the Reveille Club, The THEBANS, The TUX CLUB, the Consorts, Bachelor-Benedict Club www.bachelor-benedictclub.org, and the National Association of Guardsmen.
.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
professionals in fields such as law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
and entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
that have incomes that amount to $100,000 or more. This class, sometimes referred to as the black upper-middle-class or The black elite
The black elite
The black elite in the South of the United States started forming before the American Civil War among free blacks who managed to acquire property. Of the free people of color in North Carolina in the censuses from 1790 to 1810, 80% can be traced to African Americans free in Virginia during the...
, represents less than 1 percent of the total black population in the United States.
This group of African Americans has a history of organizations and activities that distinguish it from other classes within the black community as well as from the white upper class. Many of these traditions, which have persisted for several generations, are discussed in Lawrence Otis Graham
Lawrence Otis Graham
Lawrence Otis Graham is an African-American attorney, speaker, and a named best-selling author by The New York Times.-Biography:Lawrence Otis Graham was born in New York, New York and raised in Westchester County, NY....
’s 2000 book, Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class.
Scholarship on this class from a sociological perspective is generally traced to E. Franklin Frazier
E. Franklin Frazier
Edward Franklin Frazier , was an American sociologist. His 1932 Ph.D. dissertation The Negro Family in Chicago, later released as a book The Negro Family in the United States in 1939, analyzed the cultural and historical forces that influenced the development of the African American family from the...
's Black Bourgeoisie ( first edition in English in 1957 translated from the 1955 French original).
Historical background
Not long after Africans were brought to the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries and sold into slavery, nonconsensual sexual relations (i.e. rape) and consensual sexual relations took place between slave owners and enslaved Africans. The biracial offspring, sometimes referred to as mulattoes, were sometimes not enslaved by their white slave-holding fathers and comprised a large part of the free black population in the American SouthSouthern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. In addition to this group, numbers of Africans escaped to freedom during the instability of the American Revolution. Others were manumitted by their enslavers. The free black community in the U.S. had therefore increased considerably by 1800, and although most of these free people were very poor, some were able to acquire farmland or to learn mechanical or artistic trades.
Some runaway slaves served in the Civil War for the Union and at the conclusion of the war, some of those African-American soldiers received 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) and a mule which contributed to land ownership among African Americans following the Emancipation
Emancipation
Emancipation means the act of setting an individual or social group free or making equal to citizens in a political society.Emancipation may also refer to:* Emancipation , a champion Australian thoroughbred racehorse foaled in 1979...
of slaves.
Other former slaves, often light-skinned former house slaves who shared ancestry with their onetime owners and who had acquired marketable skills such as cooking and tailoring, worked in domestic fields or were able to open small businesses such as restaurants and catering firms. Some free blacks in the North also founded small businesses and even newspapers. The members of these families were able to get a head-start on those blacks who were essentially still enslaved by their lack of access to wealth accumulation, particularly when it came to owning their own land.
As a result of Jim Crow laws that prohibited certain rights if a person was of African heritage, many African-Americans were forced to be enterprising by establishing businesses that served their own people. Some of those businesses included black-owned hotels, insurance agencies, funeral homes and various retail stores. A "Black Wall Street" once existed in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
; and the Georgetown area of Washington D.C. was known for its affluent African American professionals during segregation. In fact, the level of business ownership among African-Americans was the highest during the era of legal segregation. Owing to integration following the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including racial segregation...
, many black-owned businesses suffered because of their inability to compete with white-owned establishments that had better access to financing.
History of college education
During the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in the 1860s, organizations like the American Missionary Association
American Missionary Association
The American Missionary Association was a Protestant-based abolitionist group founded on September 3, 1846 in Albany, New York. The main purpose of this organization was to abolish slavery, to educate African Americans, to promote racial equality, and to promote Christian values...
, which had sponsored elementary schools for Southern blacks, established some of the first historically black colleges and universities
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
. These included Fisk University
Fisk University
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
, Hampton Institute, Tuskegee Institute and Tougaloo College
Tougaloo College
Tougaloo College is a private, co-educational, liberal arts institution of higher education founded in 1869, in Madison County, north of Jackson, Mississippi, USA.Academically, Tougaloo College has received high ranks in recent years...
. Those who attended these schools, as well as such other black colleges as Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
, Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
and Spelman College
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
, were able to acquire skills and academic knowledge that put them in a distinctly different class. Lincoln University, PA founded in 1854, and Wilberforce University
Wilberforce University
Wilberforce University is a private, coed, liberal arts historically black university located in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans...
founded in 1856, were the only black colleges operational prior to the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, these schools were located in the North. There had been, however, a few predominantly white colleges, such as Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Berea College
Berea College
Berea College is a liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky , founded in 1855. Current full-time enrollment is 1,514 students...
in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
in the south, that had accepted black students even before the war, and their black graduates had been given a head start on economic stability.
Since the founding of the historically black schools, often attended originally by the children of skilled former slaves who'd been able to establish businesses or farms in the post-war period, several generations of many families have often become alumni of Howard, Fisk, Tuskegee, Dillard, Hampton, Morehouse, and Spelman. While today there are well over one hundred historically black colleges and universities (HBCU's) in the U.S., these early institutions have consistently been the favorites for upper-class blacks. Howard University and Morehouse College, in particular, have been considered by the Black intelligentsia
Intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
to be the premier historically black colleges.
However, since integration, the majority of the black upper class have attended predominantly white colleges and universities.http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/04/19/hbcu Although, as researchers have noted, "in the first time period covered by the scholars, black colleges were attracting significant numbers of students from professional, middle-class black families [these people] are now the students who are cherry-picked by highly selective, prestigious institutions that weren’t looking for them in the 1970s", said Michael L. Lomax, president of the United Negro College Fund.http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/04/19/hbcu
A small number of free blacks during the 19th century were also admitted into private, predominately white institutions such as Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Amherst
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
and, again, Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
.
Greek organizations
In 1904 Sigma Pi PhiSigma Pi Phi
Sigma Pi Phi is the first African-American Greek-lettered organization. Sigma Pi Phi was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 1904. The fraternity quickly established chapters in Chicago, IL and then Baltimore, MD....
fraternity, also known as the "Boule," was established as the first Greek-letter society for African Americans. Within the decade undergraduate
Undergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...
college students established fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
as small, selective social groups that later developed an emphasis on scholarship and social activism.
Today, there are a total of nine historically black sororities and fraternities that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council
National Pan-Hellenic Council
The National Pan-Hellenic Council is a collaborative organization of nine historically African American, international Greek lettered fraternities and sororities. The nine NPHC organizations are sometimes collectively referred to as the "Divine Nine"...
, sometimes referred to as the “Divine Nine.” The organizations include Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
(1906), Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...
(1908), Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
(1911), Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
(1911), and Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
(1913) and Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...
(1914), Zeta Phi Beta
Zeta Phi Beta
Zeta Phi Beta is an international, historically black Greek-lettered sorority and a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.Zeta Phi Beta is organized into 800+ chapters, in eight intercontinental regions including the USA, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean...
(1920), Sigma Gamma Rho
Sigma Gamma Rho
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was founded on the campus of Butler University on November 12, 1922, by seven school teachers in Indianapolis, Indiana...
(1922), and Iota Phi Theta (1963).
Some argue that historically black Greek organizations differ from those that are traditionally all-white because of their importance to blacks long after they have left their respective colleges and universities.
Graham said in his book, Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class, that these sororities and fraternities “are a lasting identity, a circle of lifetime friends, a base for future political and civic activism”.
Social and family organizations
Over the years, the black upper class has also founded numerous other organizations that allow them to socialize among each other, build their networks and get involved in their communities.One of the most notable is Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
Jack and Jill (organization)
Jack and Jill of America is an African American organization formed during the Great Depression. It was formed in 1938 by African American mothers with the idea of bringing together children in a social and cultural environment. Since then, it has evolved into one of the most well known women's...
, an elite mother's club for African American women founded in Philadelphia, PA in 1938 by a group of upper-class mothers who wanted to bring their children together to experience a variety of educational, social and cultural opportunities, which, due to segregation and racism, were not otherwise readily available to African American children, regardless of the socio-economic status of their parents. Today, there are around 218 chapters across the United States and the world. Roughly 30,000 parents and children participate through 9,500 mothers who hold membership. Separated into age groups, children attend monthly activities extensively planned by the mothers of that age group, which may include philanthropic endeavors/community service, pool parties, ski weekends, theater, museums, lectures, college tours, etc. Membership is by invitation-only and, even then, not guaranteed due to the extensive candidate selection process, which may last a year or longer and may include a vote by existing members. Membership is limited to mothers of children between the ages of 2-19. Annual costs of membership, including dues and activity fees, may easily reach thousands of dollars.
The LINKS, Incorporated, founded in 1946, requires that each of its members accumulate a substantial number of volunteer hours, and is also known for its numerous annual social activities including debutante cotillions, fashion show luncheons, auctions and balls. Women interested in joining any of the local chapters must be nominated by a current member. Most members are philanthropists, college presidents, judges, doctors, bankers, lawyers, executives, educators or the wives of well-known public figures. There are currently about 12,000 members in 273 chapters in 42 states.
The Girl Friends, Inc., was founded in 1927 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The group, composed of many individuals from well-respected black upper class families, has many philanthropic and cultural activities that include raising money for charities and also sponsors social activities for its members. It includes about 40 chapters in major American cities such as Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Atlanta. There are around 1,300 members. Women are admitted after being nominated by at least two existing members and then approved by at least two-thirds of that particular chapter.
Other prominent women's groups include the Continental Societies, Inc., The Drifters, Inc., the CARATS, Incorporated, The Moles, Inc.,The Pierians, The Carousels, Top Ladies of Distinction(TLOD), the National Smart Set, The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Club, Inc. and the Northeasterners.
There are also a few organizations founded specifically for upper class black men. Some of these include the Sigma Pi Phi Boule
Sigma Pi Phi
Sigma Pi Phi is the first African-American Greek-lettered organization. Sigma Pi Phi was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 1904. The fraternity quickly established chapters in Chicago, IL and then Baltimore, MD....
, 100 Black Men of America
100 Black Men of America
100 Black Men Of America is a men's civic organization and service club whose stated goal is to educate and empower African American children and teens. As of 2009 the organization has 110 chapters and over 10,000 members in different cities in the United States and throughout the world...
, the Comus Social Club, the Reveille Club, The THEBANS, The TUX CLUB, the Consorts, Bachelor-Benedict Club www.bachelor-benedictclub.org, and the National Association of Guardsmen.
Home ownership rates
It is estimated that 80 percent of upper class blacks own their own homes. This is compared to 66 percent of those earning more than $50,000 and 52 percent of those who earn between $30,000 and $49,999 in incomeIncome
Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...
.
Famous Black Business Districts during Segregation
The following are a few black business districts/areas/cities that swelled with success during the era of Legal Segregation which also contributed to the rise of the American Black Upper Class. (The following is based on research found in the Library of Congress, the History Center in Atlanta; and the Apex Museum in Atlanta, Georgia along with archives in various historical societies)- U Street, NW in Washington, D.C.
- "Black Wall Street" in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- "Sweet" Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia
- Harlem, New York
- Southside of Chicago, Illinois
- Central Avenue, Los Angeles
- "The Deuce" in Richmond, Virginia