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Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Ta-Nehisi Coates is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about culture, politics, and social issues for TheAtlantic.com and the magazine. He is the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle. More

Born in 1975, the product of two beautiful parents. Raised in West Baltimore—not quite The Wire, but sometimes ill all the same. Studied at the Mecca for some years in the mid-’90s. Emerged with a purpose, if not a degree. Slowly migrated up the East Coast with a baby and my beloved, until I reached the shores of Harlem. Wrote some stuff along the way.

Class Warfare--Negro style

By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Jan 6 2009, 12:37 PM ET Comment

Seriously, I love my bougie people--and some of you are even my literal fam. No Jack & Jillers (yet) but the pink and green reps on my side, and the Delta on Kenyatta's side. I went to Howard, and I know that ya'll are more than cotillions and Martha's Vineyard (and yet you're that too). Plus, when I was a kid, we all thought that hottest chicks (county girls for the win!) were gonna be at your parties. Moreover, I think fully half my readership is made up of future members of the Boule\Links. Don't ever let it be said that I don't got love for my Bougie people.

But I gotta drop it on you one time...

Conversate--much like copacetic--is a word, and it's word that you'll be seeing on this blog quite a bit. So for all the Carlton and Crystals out there, I have a message--you can't win this one. The Keyshawns have it on the slanguage. Tamika wins the day. Again!

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