Last week, in the saga of the Black middle class, the begging question was where are they in Pittsburgh? In a social media exchange, a few stated that there is not a Black middle class neighborhood in Pittsburgh and some even went as far as saying that there is not a Black middle class in Pittsburgh. Well, contrary to what some believe there is a Black middle class in Pittsburgh. They don’t all live in one neighborhood or on one street, they are spread out throughout the city of Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas. Isn’t that something that we fought so hard for? To be able to live where we want to live, as long as we have the money.
When someone comes to Pittsburgh from out of town, “the code” can be a little hard to crack. First things first, if you are moving here, 99 percent of the time you are moving here as a professional, not to be a greeter at Walmart, so your primary contacts are going to be White. The realtor will steer you to areas that will have the best resale value because you probably will not be making Pittsburgh your home. Here is where groups like the North Hills Ebony Women and BASH (Black Association of South Hills) come in. For years, they have embraced Blacks that move into predominately White neighborhoods. If one is a member of the Kappas, Ques, Alphas, AKA’s or Deltas, then you have a brotherhood or sisterhood to help you. Perhaps you will even find a church where you will be embraced, and someone will show you the ins and outs of “Black middle class Pittsburgh.”
Terri White (assistant director of development at Carnegie Science Center) replied to the “Where are the Black middle class?” question and says, “Pittsburgh’s Black middle class exists: they aren’t as large a group in other places (for various reasons) but they are here. The problem is that if you don’t know one of them, you don’t know any of them––that’s Pittsburgh’s old school mentality that most people moving to the city don’t prescribe to. Every article about Black people in Pittsburgh talks about the lack of events or things to do outside of hanging out at bars. Yet, as you stated, the Courier always has articles about events and shindigs that the Black middle class has hosted. So where is the disconnect? Why do we see the same 100-150 people at everything? I have a few theories, but my biggest observation as a native that moved away and then moved back is that we as a city—but especially as African Americans—do an absolutely terrible job of letting people know what’s going on in a reasonable amount of time for people to decide if they want to participate.”
There is a Black middle class in Pittsburgh and they don’t all live in one area. If you are new to the city, one thing that I will recommend is to start reading the New Pittsburgh Courier before you get here so you can see what your brothers and sisters are doing. Get involved.
(Email the columnist at debbienorrell@aol.com)
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