The Black Middle Class of Bed-Stuy

The following is an unpublished letter I sent to Time Out New York in response to a letter that was commenting on an article that had appeared in the magazine. My letter was dated August 11, 2006.

Dear Editor:
In her letter, Jennifer Gilchrist accuses TONY of racially stereotyping the residents of Bed-Stuy [Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York] along racial lines (white wealth vs. black poverty). But Gilchrist herself is guilty of stereotyping. She writes that in "the wealthiest areas of Bed Stuy...the vast majority of residents are middle-class and upper middle-class African-Americans." First of all, being middle-class does not mean that one is wealthy. Secondly, she's on the outside looking in. How many of those "wealthy" African-Americans are struggling to maintain a middle-class life for themselves and their families? How many of them are living paycheck- to- paycheck attempting to keep up with many financial obligations (credit card debt, car payments, mortgages, school tuitions, medical expenses, etc.), while at the same time trying to save enough for a comfortable retirement? As the saying goes, looks can be deceiving.