In the black community in America, there is a severe disconnection among those of different classes. Many upper and middle-class blacks feel as if they can look down on, talk down to, and overlook black people who are considered lower class.

The Famuan

Ashley Bates

I often witness black people who are college-educated, living in a nice home, driving a fancy car or earning a high salary, looking down on blacks who are less fortunate.

Why is it that some blacks who have "moved on up," by working hard and achieving the American dream feel they can distance themselves and underestimate poor black people? Is it because they feel they have nothing in common with lower class black people? Is it because they feel they are more accepted among white people?

Maybe it is because lower class blacks get blamed for many of the problems the black community allegedly has, such as speaking poor English; having babies outside of wedlock; high dropout rates; using and selling drugs; and filling up the jail cells.

Is it because they feel like they are more accepted among white people? Or are they just outright silly, feeling as if they have arrived?

The last time I checked I thought most of the black people in America were descendants of slaves. With that being the case, we all come from nothing.

They make brainless statements like low class blacks are not good enough to associate or be seen with.

Some are so confused. They go as far as talking bad about them in front of whites. They are not willing to try and take the time out to help or share information that will help the lower class blacks get to their level. They don't attend black schools, and they move away from predominantly black neighborhoods.

That is not to say that all black neighborhoods have lower class black people living in them, but a lot of blacks have forgotten who they are and where they come from.

Black people are not in any position to look down on one another.

We as black people haven't risen to our full potential.

Even rich black people are not globally in control of as much as they could. They are rich, but they have to be careful what they do or say because if they make the wrong move all of their money can be taken away in the blink of an eye.

High and middle-class black people who are walking around feeling as if they are in a position to look down on others need to wake up and smell the coffee.

At the end of the day, we are all the same.

Articles in the "Voices" section represent the opinions of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Black College Wire.

Ashley Bates wrote this article for The Famuan, the Florida A&M University student newspaper.

Posted Jan. 7, 2008