The Black Middle Class: Social Mobility - and Vulnerability

The widespread presence of successful African Americans in virtually all walks of life has led many in the United States to believe that the races are now on an equal footing - and that color-blindness is the most appropriate way to deal with racial difference. In strong contrast, Benjamin Bowser argues that the seemingly comparable black and white middle classes, while inextricably linked, in fact exist on entirely different economic planes. Probing the subtle inner workings of contemporary class dynamics, Bowser demonstrates that belief in comparability is based not in reality, but in hopes, sentiment, and ideology. His focus on the structural barriers that underlie differences in black and white achievement makes it clear that the national racial dilemma has not been solved, but only transformed, and that issues of race and class are inseparable in the United States.