Whitney Clark

Sociology 1010-404
Professor: Axana King
11-11-2014

Class Assignment #2
Watching the video, Henry Gates a professor at Harvard explains how there is a wide gap
between working classes for the black community. He calls it the "two nations of black
America". He believes that part of the civil rights movement might not be finished. He stated
that "there is a wide gap between black lower class and black middle class as wide as the gap
between white and black races".

Gates said that there is three times as many students at Harvard than thirty years ago. Most don't
even recognize the laws of segregation (the things they fought for like to vote, equality or to
work). Gates is the chairman of African-American studies. He recognizes one of the most
prominent black people of the 20th century. His name was W.E.B. Deboyce. Deboyce was
Harvard's first black PHD and co-founder of N.W.A.C.P. Gates said he is reminded of his
obligation to serve the rest of the black community, those who were left behind.

Gates goes into the place where he grew up. He said that the color line was also the class line.
Martin Luther King gave his speech which helped keep people together, but something that
bonded people even more was Stokeley Carmichael and his coined term "Black Power". There
started to form a club. You were either in or out. The Black panthers took it a step further and
made it into a black army. To stand up for what was theirs. They fought against the White

community. Some people in the party felt it was too much, and that they were just being used as
media puppets. Soon within the party, people started forming another group within the Black
Panther Party. They did this through education and taking a place at Harvard.

Gates mentioned that they felt through education and being at Harvard, setting a example would
release tension among the black community and help them all get ahead. Instead, they found out
that class was a new boundary between white and blacks. People that had no skills during the
movement got pushed aside and got left behind.

The main reason why the USA has the largest black middle and lower class is because when
Martin Luther King wanted to go to D.C. to fix the economy with the poor class, he was shot.
He was never able to reach his goal of helping the lower class get ahead. The cause was tossed
aside for quite some time. This caused some chaos within the black community. Starting with
black gangs committing crimes against other blacks. Then there are a side black community
bringing out the worst of their cause. Like some rap music that shows blacks being uneducated,
in a gang, and in trouble with the law. Things have changed in the black community goals, from
being treated like equals, being able to get out of poverty now to all about money. A lot of
younger black people are dropping out of the education system and going right into low paying
jobs. Also being considered is the fact that most jobs that teach skills moved to China. Less jobs
are available, and those available have little chance of moving upwards.

In the ending, there is a speech that talks about how most of the problems in America are not
racial but inequality. It can be from gender, race, religion etc. It is a problem of American
economy and society.