Moving Up but Still Falling Down: Rising Black Middle Class but Falling Black Male Bodies

• In Event: 459 - Regular Session. African Americans: Racial and Spatial Challenges to Upward Mobility

Abstract

Many Black families chose to move to suburban spaces as a way of providing a safe environment and better educational opportunities for their children. However, counterintuitively, their male children in particular may face increased danger due to their being seen as an intruder and a threat in a majority white residential area. This paper reviews the literature around the negative stereotypes of black male youth in white social spaces, particularly suburban neighborhoods. The authors use the Trayvon Martin incident as a case study, and compare the Zimmerman/Martin incident with other recent “walking while black” incidents. The paper concludes with policy recommendations to reduce the negative perception of African-American males in majority white suburbs and also to reduce the likelihood of a fatal encounter.

Authors

• Dawn X Henderson, Winston Salem State University

• Richard Greg Moye, Winston Salem State University