It has been said, and proven, that Black Americans do not unite as a culture to collectively accomplish goals that uplift the whole of our community. There is much commentary and debate as to why this is the case. While there are many suggested reasons, Maulana K’arenga states that five strategies were used to control slaves. “…Strategy #4 - disrupting and forbidding unity among slaves - had the devastating effect of obliterating African culture, memories and consciousness…”
It can be said that many of the issues facing Black America in the 21st century are propagated from our failure to become and stay unified. There are many causes for this lack of unity including skin color, economic status and gender to name a few.
One way of approaching the social and economic landscape of the Black community is to view us in two camps. The first camp can be called Boughee Blacks – these can be defined as black Americans that have “made it” both socially and economically. These folks can also be defined as upper middle class blacks who have achieved the “American Dream” through advanced education, higher salaries, and business ownership. With improvements in these characteristics, it can also be said that there is a direct correlation with the adaptation of social and cultural characteristics historically seen in mainstream, white
The second camp can be called Ghetto Blacks – these can be defined as economically, educationally and socially disadvantaged black folks who have yet to achieve the American Dream. Many social problems including poor education, poor health, high crime and low economic achievement are often times associated with this camp. On the other hand, there are distinct cultural jewels that have emerged out of the ghetto, that have helped to define our race and culture. Hip Hop as a lifestyle that has had a prominent effect on
For some, this reasoning of two black
It is also our belief that there is a core group of black American’s that identify deeply with both the ghetto and boughee communities. People who have grown up in the Hip Hop era and can not only identify with, but live the hip hop culture through their views of music, black love, sports, politics, family life, etc. These same people have integrated themselves into a society that has a blueprint of sorts by which most of us must live in order to feed our families and become successful.
On a broader scale, all black people, whether you are from the heart of the ghetto, or a descendent of 18th century wealth, are boughetto. The true question is, where are you on the spectrum of boughee and ghetto characteristics. For most of us, there are varying degrees of both – it is a highly personal thought process and reality. Most of us have within ourselves, the innate power to understand, identify with, and to be a part of, the opposite of the culture that you in fact primarily identify with. We are all from the same tree. That internal ancestral understanding from before we were taught how to be fragmented exists in all of us.
We believe that the key is not to deny the other side in which we (may) loathe, but rather to strive to understand it and embrace it. A collective, cultural understanding, could lead to a unified and enriched Black America. Boughetto is a means to join together two separate, yet unified, communities; the yin and the yang - the body and the soul. Let the discussion ensue, let the movement begin!!
