"Black-Middle Class Suburbia" by Karyn Lacy

"Black-Middle Class Suburbia" by Karyn Lacy was a very interesting piece about Black suburban families who, despite this economic fortune, were still dealing with problems of racism. The underlying idea among the interviews was that: "[They] [were] concerned with preparing their children to function in predominate white settings… [despite] [the] fear that their children will endure unnecessary hardship in these kinds of intimate interactions with whites (Lacy 216)." Parents living under these circumstances were primarily concern with the wellbeing and happiness of their offspring; ultimately they wanted their children to assimilate with white society to avoid the misery that they endured when they were growing up due to racism. To achieve this, many families wanted to bridge the gap by being open-minded to their children marrying into white families and attending white colleges, despite their past experience with racial discrimination. To the residents in these neighborhoods, assimilating to white culture by pushing white values on their children, will give them an advantage if they attend white colleges, develop affluent white contacts and live in a white setting. I think this is a very admirable concept, to pass on advantages to their children and instill opportunities embedded in their upbringing, however, due to the way society is built, it is a futile effort.