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Fresh, I grew up in a more diverse area -- the Maryland suburbs of DC -- but the part about grades and careers is right on target. My dad still can't believe that I didn't go straight into grad school after college to get an early start on the tenure track! :p
Here in DC, things are a mixed bag. The majority is black, but many neighborhoods are de facto segregated, and there are a lot of problems with poverty, drugs, AIDS, etc in the poor black population. I strongly believe that resource distribution around here skews towards white neighborhoods -- for instance, the escalators in subway stations in urban black neighborhoods are almost always out of service, whereas in the cushier white areas they work just fine. Same for schools, policing, etc. You are much more likely to have a positive experience with a cop in the white or mixed neighborhoods in DC than in the primarily black ones.
As for the positive side, among students and young workers here there is a lot of awareness of racism and interest in social change. I believe that things are more integrated here than they were a few years ago; for instance, the neighborhood where I live has become more racially and culturally diverse in this decade without driving out the original, lower-income residents. The DC area also has one of the highest-income, most-educated African American populations in the country, most notably in the affluent Prince Georges' County community. PG County has had some problems with crime recently but is still considered one of the best places for African American families to live. DC also has a sizable community of African immigrants, especially from East Africa.
I think things are better than they were in the past here. The city has certainly done a lot of repair and rebuilding since the 1968 riots, and it's hard to imagine that happening here again. Honestly, I believe that congressional representation would be a big piece of the puzzle. Things will be better here when the residents have more of a say.
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