Talks / Ideas / Philosophy

The good, the black and the boujee: how black Britain became middle class

Houghton Street

Tue 20 Oct · 18:30 · Free

90m · Talk

About this event

Join us for a discussion about a new book, The Good, the Black and the Boujee . A landmark portrait of modern Britain, The Good, the Black and the Boujee is a critical reckoning with the pursuit of ‘black excellence’. From broadcasters and lawyers to content creators, actors and politicians, black professionals appear to have become leaders of Britain’s most visible, profitable and culture-defining industries. Yet educated black professionals say racism is entrenched and rising to the top has never been harder. Symeon Brown unravels the web of class and gender that shapes black Britain today, reconciling cultural and political conversations surrounding black British identity with the present reality. Whether dissecting the preference of educated black women to be single, the rise of black Conservative power brokers, or how the assimilation of black elites masks the barriers facing the black working class, Brown renders visible the psychological and material cost of class aspiration. This event will explore how race, capital and identity entwine – and what is lost, gained and discovered through social mobility.