The Harvard sociologist Orlando Patterson, a guest OpEd columnist in the N.Y. Times, has an interesting piece today (subscription required) about W.E.B. DuBois’s famous prediction that the problem of the 20th century would be the color line. The prediction, Patterson writes, had two components to it: “One side was the near complete exclusion of African-Americans and other minorities from the upper echelons and leadership of American society, public life and national identity. The other was the segregation of blacks from the social, communal and intimate cultural life of white Americans.”
Patterson’s argument, in short, is that the first part of the color-line problem has been spectacularly resolved while the second part has barely budged. He points to Colin Powell, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Condoleezza Rice, and Deval Patrick as current examples of blacks who have achieved leadership positions of the highest order. “But when we turn to the other side of DuBois’s color line,” he writes, “we find a stunning paradox: accompanying this public integration has been the near complete isolation of blacks from the private life of the white majority. Recent modest improvements notwithstanding, blacks, including the middle class, are nearly as segregated today as they were in DuBois’s day.”
This distinction seems obvious after it has been so cogently put forth by Patterson, but like many good insights, I don’t think many of us would have voiced it on our own.
The most controversial element of the column is Patterson’s final prescription to the segregation issue: “It would be naive to discount persisting white racism, but other minorities, like Jews, have faced a similar dilemma and opted, with good reasons, for integration … If America is ever to solve the second part of DuBois’s color problem, it will be on the shoulders of the black middle class.”
It will be interesting to see the public responses, if any, to Patterson’s call to action. A narrow reaction would likely include the parry that, “Well, Jews are white”; but that would seem to be missing the meat of Patterson’s point.
and 
. You can also watch it on 
Interesting that Patterson speaks of Jews ‘opting’ for integration, which seems to argue that the black middle class is not, that it’s their choice not to participate.
Not to over-generalize, but perhaps it’s thought better to be seen as successful in your (self-defined) peer group than average in the population at large? Or to be successful on your own terms rather than on someone else’s? After all, once you have financial independence, what’s so great about fitting in with the mainstream in the US? What ‘need’ does that fulfill?
Interesting that Patterson speaks of Jews ‘opting’ for integration, which seems to argue that the black middle class is not, that it’s their choice not to participate.
Not to over-generalize, but perhaps it’s thought better to be seen as successful in your (self-defined) peer group than average in the population at large? Or to be successful on your own terms rather than on someone else’s? After all, once you have financial independence, what’s so great about fitting in with the mainstream in the US? What ‘need’ does that fulfill?
I couldn’t read the link because I’m not a Times Select subscriber, so I’m reacting to your post, not the article itself.
To say that there is a “near complete isolation of blacks from the private life of the white majority” strikes me as exaggeration. Two examples from my personal experience: 25-30 years ago, I knew an interracial married that had to endure racial insults regularly when they were pedestrians on the street. Interracial couples today are just not that uncommon. Second, I see a huge difference in the employment practices. 25-30 years ago, professional services firms typically had Black employees only in the mailroom literally but now it would be a huge recruiting disadvantage if their workforces are not more representative of society as a whole. Granted, neighborhoods and churches are largely racially segregated still, but it sounds like the article might be exaggerating, in my experience.
I couldn’t read the link because I’m not a Times Select subscriber, so I’m reacting to your post, not the article itself.
To say that there is a “near complete isolation of blacks from the private life of the white majority” strikes me as exaggeration. Two examples from my personal experience: 25-30 years ago, I knew an interracial married that had to endure racial insults regularly when they were pedestrians on the street. Interracial couples today are just not that uncommon. Second, I see a huge difference in the employment practices. 25-30 years ago, professional services firms typically had Black employees only in the mailroom literally but now it would be a huge recruiting disadvantage if their workforces are not more representative of society as a whole. Granted, neighborhoods and churches are largely racially segregated still, but it sounds like the article might be exaggerating, in my experience.
I also haven’t read the article, but I can react to it. I am part of an interracial married couple, and I know that my wife and I often find that one or the other of us are the only (or almost only) white or black person at a social gathering.
I also haven’t read the article, but I can react to it. I am part of an interracial married couple, and I know that my wife and I often find that one or the other of us are the only (or almost only) white or black person at a social gathering.
Not being a Times Select subscriber either, I can only react to the posting here.
One area where the dominant (aka white) culture readily admits blacks is as entertainers, particularly pop music and sports, continuing a trend from the minstrel shows of the 19th century. The stereotyping that takes place in those two areas is striking and wouldn’t be tolerated (at least overtly) in other areas of civic or cultural life.
Not being a Times Select subscriber either, I can only react to the posting here.
One area where the dominant (aka white) culture readily admits blacks is as entertainers, particularly pop music and sports, continuing a trend from the minstrel shows of the 19th century. The stereotyping that takes place in those two areas is striking and wouldn’t be tolerated (at least overtly) in other areas of civic or cultural life.