Dear Michel Martin, & "Tell Me More",
Thank you for giving in-depth coverage of the PEW survey on race, especially on attitudes about how African Americans view the issue at this time in history.

What was very baffling to my mind, was this issue of Black folks bifurcation of "Race," I found this strange to think, that we are dividing ourselves as two seperate races! Frankly, I find that scary, has the virus of race & racism infected us (Black folks) to the degree that we see ourselves as two distinct races. We all know, or should know, that race is a social construct & the reality is that their is only "ONE RACE" the "Human Race".I understand class divisons, but to try & make two races, is well abhorrent, to my sensibilities.

Could this be self loathing to such a degree that we want to distance oursleves from each other? If so we have truly lost the vision that Dr. King had for us all, as "The Beloveded Community"

Could it be the way the questions were asked, that the collective answers came out the way they did? At this time I have not with a fine tooth comb, went over the pdf survey you (TMM) provided for us, thank you; like I have stated, I find this response unsettling.

If their is a divide lets keep in mind that it is a CLASS divide,& should not be framed as a biological racial division whithin the African American community, no matter how wide that divide might appear !!

Dr. Louis Henry Gates has been discussing this issue since the late 90's,maybe it time we pay attention & listen. It would be great if TMM could get his take on the subject on air !

Again, thanks, Tell Me More," for keeping your listeners in the "LOOP",Robert H.

Sent by Robert H. | 7:08 PM ET | 11-16-2007

The way I heard it: "What do Black folks call a White guy with a Ph.D.? A Honkie!"

Sent by True_Liberal | 9:30 AM ET | 11-19-2007

For full disclosure, I'm a young white woman from a middle class family who has lived all her life in the Northeastern U.S.

I find the idea that there a strange, new divergence of values between Black Americans along socio-economic lines to be misleading, off-the-mark victim blaming.

First of all, of course members of different socio-economic groups have different immediate priorities. This hardly constitutes what a specific group actually values. No matter how much they value their child's education, parents can't go to school board meetings, for example, if they work a job that goes late into the evening, instead of a 9-5. Young folks can't really go to college if they and their parents can't afford it or can't get loans. If you don't have money, that's the first thing you are concerned about; I learned that in high school economics -- needs come before wants.

Second, this is not unique to Black people, and by even asking the questions this survey asked, it betrays a subtle perceived distinction between dominant white culture and minority cultures. Any ethnic or racial group will see differences in lifestyles and priorities between the different socio-economic strata within that group. Across racial lines, working class and poor folks are going to substandard public schools, are going to college at lower rates, lack health care and insurance in greater numbers, et cetera ad infinitum. And it's not because having a small bank account somehow alters your brain chemistry and changes you into a cyborg who doesn't care about or value good health, fulfilling jobs, and quality education.

So then, the question about the values of poor Black folks? These differing 'values' are not values at all. After all, people don't chose to be poor, and if not being poor was as easy as having the right values, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. I don't know that there are very many people at all in this country who don't value good public schools (except maybe neo-cons), affordable college, quality health care, and an affluent standard of living. To say that poor Black folks don't value these things is insulting and racist and classist. It allows now-comfortable Black folks to dismiss those who haven't made it and pretend that they don't also face continuing institutional racism, and for all white folks to continue to believe that they are somehow better than those mixed-up ignorant Blacks.

I think we're asking the wrong questions. We should be asking why so many Americans feel like some of their fellow citizens don't deserve equal chances, and why institutional racism persists. While I've said that there are poor folk from every ethnic background, as someone said on Tell Me More this morning, "When white America sneezes, Black America gets pneumonia." Destitution among minorities probably is a bigger problem than among white folks, because not only do poor Black folks face the problems that come with being poor for any group, but our society's continuing racism makes it that much harder to move out of poverty -- a double-whammy of race and class oppressions and hardships. And all those who are not poor black people need to face that fact that, were they to wake up poor and black tomorrow, all the high values in the world will not necessarily equal upward mobility.

Sent by Jaime Taylor | 10:45 AM ET | 11-19-2007

I read some of the Pew research findings last week and I found part (especially that of blacks who don't consider themselves a single race)of the research too broad to be conclusive.

Also, about the part of blacks getting along with other groups. I think this survey depends on where you live. So looking through the prizm of my environment, I have Jewish and Latino (Hispanics) friends as well as blacks. When I look around, I'm not exclusive in having a diverse group of friends. A couple of my friends who went to a historically black college before they relocated to South Florida attest to this fact. They told me how it was a culture shock at first seeing different ethnicities in one spot especially when it comes to dating - it's no big deal.

Sent by Moji | 11:13 AM ET | 11-19-2007