The black middle class is term refered to African or Mixed-Race Americans whom occupy a middle class status within the American class structure. It is predominately a development that arose after the 1960s. African Americans had a limited opportunity structure prior to 1960 because of racial discrimination, segregation, and the fact that most lived in the rural South. In 1960, forty-three percent of the white population completed high school, while only twenty percent of the black population did the same. African Americans had little to no access to higher education and only three percent graduated from college. Those blacks that were professionals were mainly confined to serving the African American population. Outside of the black community, they worked in unskilled industrial jobs. Black women that worked were almost all domestic servants. Image File history File links Gnome-globe. ... Shortcut: WP:-( Vandalism is indisputable bad-faith addition, deletion, or change to content, made in a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of the encyclopedia. ... A monument to the working and supporting classes along Market Street in the heart of San Franciscos Financial District, home to tens-of-thousands of professional and managerial middle class workers each day. ... A monument to the working and supporting classes along Market Street in the heart of San Franciscos Financial District, home to tens of thousands of professional and managerial middle class workers each day. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An African-American drinks out of a water fountain marked for colored in 1939 at a street car terminal in Oklahoma City. ... This article is 88 kilobytes or more in size. ... A poster featuring an illustration of a stereotypical uniformed maid A domestic worker, or simply domestic, is a servant who works within their employers household. ...

Economic growth, public policy, black skill development, and the civil rights movement all contributed to the surfacing of a larger black middle class. The civil rights movement helped to desegregate the military and removed barriers to higher education. As opportunity for African Americans expanded, blacks began to take advantage of the new possibilities. By 1980, over 50% of the African American population had graduated high school and eight percent graduated college. Today, approximately 86% of blacks have graduated from high school and 13% graduate college. Prominent figures of the African-American Civil Rights Movement. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ...

As a result of this, African Americans now hold a broader range of jobs. They have been successful in securing middle-income jobs in the public society. They are twice as likely as whites to work for the government at some levels. In private division, African Americans are equal with whites in some areas, but much less likely to hold executive or administrative positions.

Additional reading

• Bart Landry, The New Black Middle Class, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1987.
• Melvin Oliver and Thomas Shapiro, Black Wealth/White Wealth: A New Perspective on Racial Inequality, Routledge, New York, 1995.
• Susan Tolliver, Black Families in Corporate America, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, California, 1998.

University of California Press, also known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. ... Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in northern California, in the United States. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Routledge is an imprint for books in the humanities part of the Taylor & Francis Group, which also has Brunner-Routledge, RoutledgeCurzon and RoutledgeFalmer divisions. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... SAGE Publications is an independent academic publisher of books, journals and databases in the humanities, social sciences and scientific, technical and medical fields. ... Location of Thousand Oaks, California Coordinates: , Country United States of America State California County Ventura Settled 1875 Incorporated September 29, 1964 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Andrew P. Fox  - City manager Scott Mitnick Area [1]  - City  55. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

Sources

• Landry, Bart. "The New Black Middle Class". 1987.
• Harris Jr., Robert. "The Rise of the Black Middle Class". The World and I Magazine. Feb. 1999. Vol. 14, pg. 40.