In the Sunday Styles section of today’s New York Times, Margaret noticed the announcement that this year’s 68th Debutante Cotillion in Manhattan had included the first African-American debutante in its history, Ms. Lauren Ashley Grayson. (This story seems to appear in the only column from the Sunday styles section that’s not online.) Your print edition should have a photo in section 9, page 5.
One could take this unheralded development in a number of ways; putting the best possible light on all of them, I suppose we should congratulate the Debutante Cotillion for noticing that not all the upper-class families in Manhattan are white.
| AKMA's Random Thoughts, "I'm Just Noticing"
posted in weblogs on December 29, 2003 2:12 AM | t (1)
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There are a lot of economically upper class blacks in the city and surrounding boroughs/suburbs. Socioeconomic upper class, is another matter though. The invitation to the debutante ball does not necessarily indicate acceptance. Membership to the social clubs behind the scenes does. I recommend you check out his posting: http://www.victorianflatbush.org/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=20#20 and try the socioeconomic class model. It is enlightening.
Never underestimate the new money vs. old money issue. You can have money, but it does not automatically buy access. So it shouldn't surprise that the Debutante Cotillion has -- just this year -- had it's first black debutante.
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