WASHINGTON–Is the Black Middle Class an endangered species? Can it be rescued from the perils of economic tumult, chronic discrimination and self-destructive lifestyle habits? Famed CNN contributor and nationally-syndicated columnist Roland Martin recently hosted a Town Hall Meeting, “The Black Middle Class,” that sought viable ways to sustain, strengthen and expand this besieged demographic. The high-powered panel discussion took place at the Renaissance Hotel Grand Ballroom on the eve of the National Black MBA Association’s 30th Annual Conference and Exhibition. The illustrious body of pundits included Alvin Brown, a former member of the Clinton-Gore Administration; Michael Eric Dyson, a professor at Georgetown University; Washington Post national correspondent Michael Fletcher; Lawrence Otis Graham, a New York Times bestselling author and Harvard-educated attorney; and Lisa Toppin, Charles Schwab’s vice president of human resources.
“Pure and simple, the black middle class is so diverse and it’s not just one particular group. We have to get how not do we just maintain, but how do we increase it. That’s the most important thing. I don’t care what nobody says. That’s the bottom line,” says Martin, following the 2-hour televised meeting that helps to commence the 30th annual Black MBA Conference. “I think that we tried to establish that education is the number one issue. That’s the start of the process. I don’t care who you are. You can’t get there unless you have an education.”
Martin facilitated an interactive forum that enabled the audience to give input to the following questions that were later shown on a big screen:
–Is the Black middle class stable enough to sustain black philanthropy during these tight economic times? 30 percent of the audience said yes.
–Are our lifestyles killing us? 91 percent said yes.
–Does “black-owned” matter in business anymore – or has it ever? 61 percent said yes.
–Is the middle class disappearing? 64 percent said yes.
Panelist Michael Eric Dyson, the renowned intellectual and prolific author, expressed that we need to replicate the strong cultural unity exemplified in the Jewish and Asian communities, which will enable us to maximize our dollars and political and cultural power. “We have to support black businesses, create black opportunities and then love black people so that black communities will be strong,” he says. “And I think that it’s important for us to talk about expanding the black middle class even as we deal with why some people are mired at the bottom of the black economic order and stuck at the bottom at the bottom of the economic ladder. So the poor have to be addressed and dealt with even as we talk about extending opportunities for the black middle class.” –terry shropshire
