What does class mean for black folk? As my thoughts about the state of young black men imply, it is very difficult to think about the state of black America without also thinking about matters of class and caste. I say class AND caste, as opposed to class (marxist) OR caste (nationalist), because I think both matter simultaneously.
There are a number of ways to think about class. In order to flesh out these conceptions I'm going to use a number of pop culture referents in order to give folks a handle on what I'm saying.
The Ellisonian notion...which probably encapsulates the old school way of thinking more than any other is simple. Class isn't your relationship to the means of production, or your occupation, or your bank statement, it is how you act. Put another way...class is something you either have or don't have.
Marsalis? Class.
Nelly? Nope.
Grant Hill? Class.
Allen Iverson? Nope.
Class is a mode of being, a way of interacting with the world, a sense of savvy, and discretion in the face of adversity. (As an aside, Cobb's got a list of old school core values. Discretion has GOT to be in there somewhere.) Doesn't matter how broke you are, or how broke your PEOPLE are. If you know that you aren't supposed to be out there with your backend hanging out, you've got class. To a certain extent, this is democratic. Everyone can learn how to carry him/herself right?