¶ … Michael Powell describes the combination of factors that contribute to the harsh and drastic shift in the economic realities of the wealthy, black communities in Memphis, TN. This article was published by the New York Times just over two years ago, certainly during severe economic times during the United States, which have not subsided in the present, a few years later. The article provides a brief and modern history of the growth the black middle class in Memphis and some surrounding towns. For a time, many black people were employed very well, owned attractive property, and lived comfortable middle class, American lifestyles. As of 2010, there were drastic events occurring with great frequency that changed the lives of many blacks for the worse. The article describes the rise and the descent of the middle class black community in Tennessee during the early 21st century. Additionally, the article provides evidence of a sociological perspective at work within the style of writing as well as the reference to a sociological expert from Brandeis University in the body of the text. (Powell, 2010)

The article includes excerpts of interviews of citizens of the area whose lives are experienced statistics that Powell provides. Though the individuals interviewed...

It seemed to have happened from one moment to the next from the perspective of the people Powell interviewed. The tone is less formal that the Farley & Frey article, which was written approximately fifteen years prior.
In approximately the mid 1990s, Farley and Frey published their article about patterns of segregation between blacks and whites during specific decades of the 20th century. This is another article that perceives an event, series of events, or pattern that stems from a variety of factors converging on specific groups during a specific duration of time. The authors use the sociological imagination and perspective in their inquiry into and explanation of patterns of segregation in the United States between blacks and white during the latter decades of the 20th century.

Some would argue that the great social imbalances between black and whites in America were a long time ago; some would argue that those times were not so long ago. Even further still there are others that would argue that those times have not ceased, and are evidenced by studies such as the one performed by Farley & Frey, which clearly demonstrate…