“Black” is not a synonym for “poor.” But one could be forgiven for thinking that it were based on the way so many people talk about race in this country. The majority of Black Americans are in the middle class or above, yet the national imagination often seems to struggle to reflect this reality. And those who are living in poverty are often the last ones to tell their own stories. Bertrand Cooper writes about the importance of being accurate in our descriptions of our impoverished communities, and the need for representation that reflects the nuances of class that exist within this thing we call "race."

Who Actually Gets to Create Black Pop Culture?, by Bertrand Cooper

Is it Possible for Black Creatives to Exploit the Poor? w/ Damon Young & Bertrand Cooper - Bad Faith podcast

Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life, by Karen and Barbara Fields

Blacks See Growing Values Gap Between Poor and Middle Class (2007) - Pew Research Center

The Devastating Effects of Concentrated Poverty, by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Architecture of Segregation, by Paul Jargowsky

Neighborhood Income Composition by Household Race and Income, 1990 - 2009 - Stanford

Black Boy Fly, by Kendrick Lamar (YouTube)

Identity Theft, by Zaid Jilani

Black Jeopardy with Tom Hanks - SNL (YouTube)

Roger Ebert Speaks Out at a Better Luck Tomorrow Screening - YouTube

1,000 True Fans, by Kevin Kelly

Inequality Is High Within the Black Community, by Bertrand Cooper

Bertrand's Twitter: @_BlackTrash

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Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @wwgnpodcast