Socioeconomic status of African American families in the 1950s

Rabekah Guerrero
Sophia Monge
Diana Marie Steverson
Imelda Urenda
Prof. Ogden

Engl. 1A - Spr ACE 2018 - Hybrid

15 April 2018

Wikipedia Essay:

Socioeconomic status of African American families in the 1950s

 Contents:
I. Introduction​- Struggles African
American families went through based on
their socioeconomic status in the 1950s.
1. The Black Elite
2. The Black Underclass
3. African American jobs in the 1950s
4. Unemployment
II. Major Factors of Economic Life
1. Income
a. Father (Walter Younger Sr.)
b. Mother (Lena Younger)
c. Son (Walter Lee Younger Jr.)
d. Wife (Ruth Younger)
e. Daughter (Beneatha Younger)
2. Education
a. Beneatha Younger
b. George Murchison
c. Joseph Asagai
3. Wealth
I. References
II. External Links

OVERVIEW:

What were the struggles that African American families were going through based on their

socioeconomic status?

Throughout the 1950’s African-American families struggled because of socioeconomic status.

Lorraine Hansberry touches on these issues in her groundbreaking play, ​A Raisin in the Sun. ​The

lower, middle, and higher class of African-Americans differed with the struggles they faced. Job

status and pay are substantially different between the classes. The level of respect between
African-Americans and Caucasians in the 1950’s was still an issue between both races.

Non-colored people had easier opportunities and had an easier process to buy property unlike

African-Americans. The ideals of an African-American woman getting her education wasn’t

very common. All these struggles well reflect in ​A Raisin in the Sun.

The Black Elite:

The Black Elite in some cases is referred to as the black upper class, the ​African-American upper

class​, or the African-American upper middle class. Blacks in Chicago lived under the oppression

of permissible discrimination. In the aftermath of the Civil War, black Chicagoans came to many

blows through discrimination in employment, housing, and with the use of public conveyances;

however, the black elite prospered. Black Chicago did have a one of a kind proficient demeanor.

Society was driven by apothecaries, attorneys, dentists, and physicians. In the United States, the

black elite is characterized by less than 1% of the entire black population. The black elite

consists of African-American accountants, athletes, business executives, CEOs, celebrities,

doctors, ​engineers​, entertainers, entrepreneurs, heirs, lawyers, politicians, and venture capitalists

who have gross incomes of $200,000 or more annually. This categorization of

African-Americans has a background marked by establishments and accomplishments that

differentiate it from other classes among the black community as well as from the white upper

class.

The Black Underclass:

Underclass is identified as being the lowest position of the societal echelon in a country or

community, consisting of the poor and unemployed. ​The Black Underclass​ is thought of as

ghetto, poor, and unemployed individuals living in welfare and poverty.

Throughout the 1950s and 60s the United States had two societies due to segregation, one society

being black and the other society being white; thus both separate and unequal. During this time,

blacks were residentially separated. Blacks lived in separate neighborhoods, or on separate sides

of the town because of racism and racial discrimination.

African American jobs in the 1950s:

In the 1940s and 1950s it was almost impossible for African-Americans to obtain jobs in the

Northern cities. For the reason that racial discrimination restricted blacks from job opportunities.

Ostracizing blacks to low-paying service jobs. Even down in the South, labor work was

definitive “nigger work”. Common jobs blacks had in the 1950s were being ​butlers​, maids,

housekeepers, babysitters, drivers and/or chauffeurs of rich white folk. Other labor jobs consisted

of clerks, milkmen, gas station attendants, dry cleaners, pushcart operators, and elevator

operators. In the play ​A Raisin in the Sun​, Walter Lee Younger works as a chauffeur for a

wealthy white family. His mother, Lena Younger (Mama), is said to be a housekeeper. And,

Walter’s wife, Ruth Younger, is more or less a housewife who also works hard; seldom

babysitting and working in the households of rich white folk as well.

Unemployment:
Income was low for African-American families in the 1950’s. Jobs opportunities were low which

led to unemployment. Many blacks were cut off from work, making majority of them poor. The

Great Depression had created many job losses for black families, which became a disaster. At

this time in the 1950s, the Great Depression had hit black families hard, especially in their most

dire need, “The unemployment rate for African-Americans was twice as high as 20 percent.”

Most of them couldn’t work at skilled or higher-paid jobs. Therefore, making it very difficult and
almost nearly impossible to find work. Not only that, but also having dealt with racial

discrimination kept blacks from industrial jobs. Though this act made blacks take action instead

of giving up. Walter Lee in, A Raisin in the Sun,

World War II Creates New Jobs for African Americans." ​African American Eras​: ​Segregation to Civil

Rights Times​, vol. 1: Activism and Reform, The Arts, Business and Industry, UXL, 2011, pp. 196-199.

Gale Virtual Reference Library​,

REFERENCES:
​The Help​ - Two black maids who work for a white household, gives their perspective of what it

is like to work for the white family in Jackson Mississippi. They go through struggles and

unfairness as they deal with racial tensions in a segregated community. “Race is the number one

determinant of a person’s place in Stocketts Jackson, Mississippi. Race also determines who has

access to educational, occupational, and economic opportunity”

Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Help Theme of Society and Class." Shmoop. Shmoop University, 

Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 4 Apr. 2018. 

Hidden Figures​- Three African-American women who are mathematicians worked as human

computers for engineers that need problems solved. The book shows us how these three women

that face prejudice and racist remarks, as well as discrimination against them from NACA, but

soon overcame them. “Once again, the NACA proves to be a place where prejudice continues to

exist, and yet also a place where it seemingly can be overcome.” These historical figures helped

to launch our nation into space.

Labrie, Sarah.​ ​“Hidden Figures Plot summary.” LitCharts. Litcharts LLC, 9 Jan 2018.

Web. 30 Mar 2018. ​https://www.litcharts.com/lit/hidden-figures/summary

​The Butler- ​Lee, Daniels. ​“The Butler Plot Summary.”

 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327773/plotsummary?ref_=ttpl_ql_2

Cecil a black man grew up as a servant throughout the decades, became a butler for the

white house while having struggles with his family and getting racist statements at work.

Black Progress: How far we’ve come, and how far we have to go-​ ​Thernstrom, Abigail, and

Stephan Thernstrom. “Black Progress.” The Brookings Review, vol. 16, no. 2, 1998, p. 12.

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/black-progress-how-far-weve-come-and-how-far-we-

have-to-go/

Black Families in 1965 and Today-

http://reason.com/archives/2015/02/26/the-black-family-in-1965-and-today

“World War II Creates New Jobs for African Americans”- ​"World War II Creates New Jobs for African Americans."

African American Eras​: ​Segregation to Civil Rights Times,​ vol. 1: Activism and Reform, The Arts, Business and

Industry, UXL, 2011, pp. 196-199. ​Gale Virtual Reference Library​,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2334900084/GVRL?u=pasa19871&sid=GVRL&xid=59df842f​.

The Black Elite in America

IMAGE: ​A Raisin in the Sun

“A Raisin in the Sun.” ​BAM.org​, 2013, www.bam.org/film/2013/a-raisin-in-the-sun.
EXTERNAL LINKS:

Lorraine Hansberry

A Raisin in the Sun

Socioeconomic status

African-American upper class

The Black Underclass​(Diana)