Pre civil rights when the racism was open and blatant there was a reality that everyone had to stick together.
Households included the elderly. It was fairly common for a sista whose husband died or left, then one of her brothers moved in. He was a father figure to the kids, protector, he worked, helped alleviate the bills. Gave him a place to stay as well.
We also had our own markets and went to it because we didn't have to go through the negro entrance, didn't have to wait till all the white people were served before we could buy something.
The one thing the white fraternities did the black frats rarely did was buy their own property. Those white frat houses on fraternity row were bought by the frat and the members each year paid rent to maintain it. There is no reason, especially at HBCUS that the major fraternities shouldn't have bought a house.
We are so individualistic these days we don't want to live together. 2 of my brothers and I bought a condo years ago. our first property for all of us. Individually we couldn't have afforded it at the time. They both lived there and we all paid the mortgage. All with the understanding it will stay in the family, not to be sold.
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