Society has this understanding that in order to be part of one culture you are not part of another. Not only are you not part of the other but they are mutually exclusive meaning that if you are part of one culture, in this instance the black culture, then you cannot be part of the other, mainstream culture. This notion of biculturalism is generally assumed by most individuals but in All Our Kin, Stack proceeds to present a different implication as to where Blacks are both committed to black culture and mainstream culture and most importantly that the two are not mutually exclusive as generally assumed. When looking at society as a whole one can see that many different cultures share the same values. This notion presented backs this understanding by telling us that the cultures are not exclusive but rather that an individual can be part of both. This notion of biculturalism implies that if you are a black male raised in a black cultural setting, you are not limited to only being part of that culture. Quoting Valentine in this implication, Stack tells us that many Blacks are actually committed to both mainstream and black culture. When reading All Our Kin one can see that this notion is true in the sense that the black urban poor have an ongoing relationship with white culture and also share many of their values. For instance a single-family home, good schools, steady jobs are all values of mainstream society that are also shared by poor Blacks society. Although this notion of biculturalism is proven to be true as per Stacks studies, the Blacks have very little opportunity to actually present their commitment to mainstream culture because it is only realized by most of society when accompanied by economic opportunity as this allows one to see the behaviors of Blacks associated with that of the more mainstream white affluent individuals. Aside from this notion presenting to us that many Blacks are simultaneously committed to both cultures, it also raises the thought as to the impact on low income Blacks. Because many of these black individuals are committed to both cultures they tend to make their own personal values based on those of the white individuals of mainstream society. For instance the low income Blacks value a single-family home but due to their economic standing in society they cannot always afford this form of living, because of their being poor they begin to stretch this value to help them to adjust to their circumstances. To adjust to this circumstance, the Blacks look for apartments for rent rather than purchasing a home. Although they try to make a step forward in society the white landlords play a part in their culture by asking for ridiculously expensive housing costs deterring their finding a home or causing the Blacks to get evicted. Another impact that Blacks face is with employment. Blacks value having steady employment as mainstream culture has this consistent employment which allows them to build an equity and form parts of what represents mainstream culture.
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They had to ability to be affluent as they took part of all of the decisions made in society unlike that of the black individuals. Unlike the Blacks, this notion of biculturalism and the commitment to both cultures did not exist in that of white culture. It impacted the white individuals on a better level because as each Black made a move towards being a part of mainstream culture, the whites benefited in some way. For instance, as stated above, the white employers decide the wages and whether or not they needed poor black workers. The whites are already a part of mainstream culture but when they allow the Blacks to take part of their culture it is due to the fact that in some way the whites will benefit for instance instead of a white individual working the dirty, demeaning job, they would in turn give it to the poor black man because they viewed them to be without much worth. Also as Blacks would make moves towards finding a steady home to live in, the whites benefitted as they owned the homes in the poor neighborhoods. This allowed the whites to make money by marking up the prices of the apartments to their liking without question by the welfare
They had to ability to be affluent as they took part of all of the decisions made in society unlike that of the black individuals. Unlike the Blacks, this notion of biculturalism and the commitment to both cultures did not exist in that of white culture. It impacted the white individuals on a better level because as each Black made a move towards being a part of mainstream culture, the whites benefited in some way. For instance, as stated above, the white employers decide the wages and whether or not they needed poor black workers. The whites are already a part of mainstream culture but when they allow the Blacks to take part of their culture it is due to the fact that in some way the whites will benefit for instance instead of a white individual working the dirty, demeaning job, they would in turn give it to the poor black man because they viewed them to be without much worth. Also as Blacks would make moves towards finding a steady home to live in, the whites benefitted as they owned the homes in the poor neighborhoods. This allowed the whites to make money by marking up the prices of the apartments to their liking without question by the welfare