The last thing Lillian and George Lewis wanted was for their daughter Tonya to marry "an entertainment type," she says. "Philip Morris is a conservative corporation," and it didn't help that "Spike is mum."
Her quote continues that joining this elite group of black businessmen, lawyers and doctors was historically determined on one's family lineage, although recently there had been a shift to meritocracy. While Spike Lee's father was a noted musician, he was not a member of the Boulé, like Tonya Lewis Lee's father.
With books like Our Kind of People by Lawrence Otis Graham, revealing some of the organizations and customs of the black upper class, it appears as though this group is becoming more discussed within the national media. While I believe that class stratification is present in most, if not all, healthy societies, I could not help but wonder what others think about class stratification within the black community.
I mean, if a successful filmmaker like Spike Lee is still somewhat seen as an outsider in this elite circle, who deserves to belong and who doesn't? Do organizations like The Links, Jack & Jill, and the Boulé (just to name a few) uplift the black community or create a bigger divide?
What do you think about this age-old question?
