Reaching the middle class is often considered one of the central elements of the American Dream. For African Americans, attaining middle-class status can be seen as an indicator of racial progress. Research on post-Civil Rights era racial progress often points to the growth of the Black middle class as evidence that opportunities for racial minorities in the United States have improved over the past several decades (Bobo, 2011; Lacy, 2007; Patterson, 1997; Wilson, 1978). Some also point to a growing Black middle class as in indicator that African Americans face fewer racial barriers now than in the past (Lamont et al., 2016; Welburn, 2016).