Black Generations
Submitted by: Mintel Group, Ltd.
There is a distinct difference in beliefs, viewpoints and perspective among Black Americans who were born prior to the Civil Rights era and those who were born during and after. This is especially true among Black Baby Boomers and Black GenXers. This is important because it dictates the filter used when viewing marketing messages. This social and political timeline differs slightly from the traditional, or general market generations that deal with chronology rather than social context.
The Civil Rights era actually began in earnest around the time of President John F. Kennedy’s election in 1960 which opened the door to the possibility of profound change in the racial climate of the country; and peaked with the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson.
The social and political shift brought about by Kennedy’s election in 1960 was significant to the Black experience at the time. Black children who were born between 1960 and 1964 entered a different world than their older Boomer predecessors who were born in the 50s. Black children of the early 60s have a memory, or consciousness of the time, of the meaning of the Civil Rights movement as very young children. They were 5 to 8 years old at the time of Martin Luther King and then Robert Kennedy were assassinated. It was a different experience for these young children than it was for their teen-aged Boomer counterparts. They were the first of a generation of Black children to move about in the world without ever having personally experienced segregation. They grew up seeing Black people on television. They tend to have more in common with Generation X than with Baby Boomers.
President Barack Obama is a good example of this social/generational anomaly among Black Americans. Although he was born in 1961, he clearly represents the Generation X mindset rather than that of a Baby Boomer.
In order to speak about Black generations in the context of historical perspective, some generational references should be adjusted slightly in order to align with, and reflect, the impact of social and political events in history and the differences in mindset among those Black Boomers that were born prior to the Civil Rights era and those born during and immediately after.
Hip-Hoppers” or “Hip-hop women or men” – older Black Millennials or Echo Boomers, born between 1975 and 1989. Speaks to a mindset as well as an age group. There are approximately 8.2 million Hip-Hoppers in the U.S. at this time, 4.38 million women and 3.81 million men. (Millennials or Echo Boomers were born between 1977 and 1994).
Black Gen X” – born between 1960 and 1974. There are approximately 8 million Black Gen Xers in the U.S. at this time, 4.4 million women and 3.6 million men. (Generation X was born between 1965 and 1976)
Black Boomers” – born between 1946 and 1959. There are approximately 8 million Black Boomers in the U.S. at this time, 3.4 million women and 2.7 million men. (Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964)
http://reachingblackconsumers.com/2011/09/black-generations/
