REPORTING: Douglas Clark Amarillo, Texas, Ray CriscoeAsheboro, NC, Hannah Winston Belle Glade, Fla., Chris Kenning Corbin, Ky., Mark Wilson Evansville, Ind., Gabriel Monte Lubbock, Texas, Safiya Charles Montgomery, Ala., Asha Gilbert Savannah, Ga., H. Rose Schneider Utica, N.Y., Scott Nunn Wilmington, N.C. Vidor was known for these prominent hand-painted signs on the outskirts of town. The reputation hed heard was fairly earned, he said. Archived post. A sundown town is not just a place where something racist happened. Oil-related business increased prosperity, and the town was incorporated in 1947. According to blackpast.org, "Sundown Towns are all-White communities, neighborhoods, or counties that exclude Blacks and other minorities through the use of discriminatory laws, harassment, and. Sunup members put up placards of testimony about the expulsion to clarify the history in a local event. How Vidor, Texas became a sundown town. It was important for people who only know Corbin as one of the 10,000 sundown towns in this nation that this event is not who we are as a community, she said. The history and ongoing impacts of sundown towns may be a misunderstood and overlooked part of the US social landscape. The show based on a novel by the same name focused on a Black man and woman traveling through Jim Crow America in an attempt to reconnect with the man's missing parent. Sarah Robinson, Ana Hurler, Melanie Balakit, Courtney Sebasta, Bringing white and Black people together: Wayne Riley discusses building better communities, Video of Wayne Riley at Laurel County African American Heritage Center, Sam Upshaw Jr., Louisville Courier Journal, Sam Upshaw Jr./Louisville Courier Journal, Looking back at moments that have shaped the Breonna Taylor movement, Charles Booker, a Black state representative from Louisville, There's 'no rootof racism we cannot pull up', Protesters fill streets outside Kentucky Derby, calling for justice for Breonna Taylor, Why livestreamers are keeping a constant eye on protests in Louisville, Heart of the movement: How these 12 young activists are seeding change in theirtowns, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. While this may seem like a problem of the past, many all-white sundown towns still exist today, and they arent just in the South. Also note: some towns are * 'd. They are not suspected sundown towns but are listed for other reasons. Sundown towns are a very disturbing and often overlooked chapter of U.S. history that many people still dont seem to know much about. EDITORS: Rana L. Cash, Jill Nevels-Haun, Kristina Wood, DIGITAL PRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT: And as Americas racial conflict or the racial situation begins to get tense, then its very possible people could see those kinds of communities begin to pop up again, he said. Similar proportions of towns in Oregon, Indiana, and other Northern states also went sundown, mostly between 1890 and 1940. The surrounding thick forests and pine woods of the Vidor area proved to be good places for secret societies and secret meetings. Marlon Davis, another San Antonio community organizer, criticized Mayor Ron Nirenberg for not focusing on the importance of public health. Dusk settles over Anna, Ill., on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. [This list is a work in progress. Based on Matt Ruffs novel, this series follows Korean war vet Atticus Freeman, his friend Letitia and his Uncle George on a journey across 1950s Jim Crow America. Sundown, TX, You can assess the information provided to form your own determination as to whether the town is a confirmed sundown town. Vidor had been an all white town where no blacks had lived in up until 1993 when the US government had to bring blacks into Vidor's public housing after a court order from the Black vs. Young court case that caused a court order that public housing complexes be desegregated or lose federal funding. Six churches, a school, a bank, a library, and businesses connected to oil, farming, and ranching industries were reported in the 1960s. Either way, email us, and tell us about it. Lovecraft paperback, according to HBO. Whites broke up empty Black neighborhoods and erected a sign reading,"Don't be here when the sun goes down," the Courier-Journal reported in a 1995 story. In a September 2020 Report to the City Council, Glendale, California, apologized for the fact that it had been a sundown town and has a history as home to White supremacist organizations that alone would have made the city hostile to Blacks. Looking at the, in America, youll find that there are hundreds scattered around all corners of the U.S.; in fact, there are almost fifty in Pennsylvania alone. CORBIN, Ky. Growing up in Appalachian Kentucky in the 1960s, Wayne Rileywasn't surprisedthat Black residents felt unwelcometo sit down at certain restaurants. The shameful chapter cast a long shadow over Corbin, which city leaders have tried to shake for decades. Ometu spent two days in Bexar County Jail even after it was confirmed he was not the suspect the police were searching for.". The release then goes on to cite two instances of "racism and anti-Blackness" displayed by the San Antonio Police Department and the Bexar County Sheriff's Office. in the 1930s: N-word, dont let the sun go down on you in Alix. Some towns prevented any black Americans from buying property and businesses that served black customers would be boycotted. These racist attitudes lead to poverty disparities and protect white advantage. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. We know that before the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the great and Honorable Marcus Garvey advocated separation. Riley, who founded the Laurel County African American Heritage Center in nearby London,said the two could makepowerful allies for social justice. Now, are there towns in which you still dont want to be caught in after dark? H even in the most hostile racial environments. While racist signage isnt common anymore, many towns still cling to their problematic heritage and foster white supremacist group activity. While we dont call them sundown towns anymore, we do know that if Black people are in certain parts of L.A. County and certain parts of the country, they are profiled, they are monitored, and in many cases killed, Mr. Akili told The Final Call. Of course, while a TikTok video is not enough evidence for the existence of sundown towns across America, this story is one of many shared experiences. Black people were not allowed within city limits after dark. I cant, I dont want to be responsible for this guys safety, said the guard, according to the trucker. You can assess the information provided to form your own determination as to whether the town is a confirmed sundown town. Your email address will not be published. Riley heard often aboutthe October night in 1919, when a white mob rounded up hundreds of black residents at gunpoint and forced them out of town on rail cars. A large hand-painted sign warning black people to get out of town after sundown was erected and constructed by the Vidor Original Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in 1930 west of town on I 10 & Church Street. Today, the legacy of sundown towns continues to cast a shadow on the tradition of the great American road trip, creating additional challenges for Black motorists who dare to journey off the beaten path. History and Social Justice Website Copyright 2023, Using Lies My Teacher Told Me and Teaching What Really Happened, Resources for Teaching with Lies My Teacher Told Me, Teachers Corner: Teaching with Lies My Teacher Told Me, Contact Jim Loewen to Speak to Your Group, Causing Change With Lies My Teacher Told Me, Works Inspired or Influenced by Lies My Teacher Told Me, Useful Quotations about History and Social Justice, Native American Issues, Including the Explorers, Teaching Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction, Civil Rights Movement to Modern Times: c. 1945 Now, Alphabetical Map of Sundown Towns by State, How to Research and Teach About Sundown Towns, Using Research Information to Help a Sundown Town Overcome Its Past, Loewens Work on Standardized Testing Used by Others, Embarrassing Questions about Standardized Tests. Nearby Rotans Govan High School had a black football trainer in the 1950s. This danger even led to the creation of a guide called the Negro Motorist Green Book that offered methods of safe travel across America if you were black. Native Hispanic Other BHshld; 1860: 1870: 1880: 1890: 1900: 1910: 1920: 1930: 1940: 1950: 1960: 1970: 1980: 1990: 2000: 2010: 2020 . This site was created by Matt Cheney, revised by OddBird, copyrighted by James W. Loewen and heirs (Nick Loewen), and is maintained by Phil Huckelberry and Stephen Berrey. Theyre pushed to the back burner, too.. If that had remained in place, Ill guarantee you Black people would control at least 10 southern states, maybe more, and they would have a gross national product, not counting what we consume, but what we produce in the neighborhood of $10 trillion. A recent report conducted by BuzzFeed revealed that sundown towns once thought to be a relic of the Jim Crow era are still proving to be a problem for Black drivers in the 21st century. Sundown Towns. Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, are all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States that practice a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combination of discriminatory local laws, intimidation, and violence. They joked about it, and they talked about it. Newsweek reached out to the Defund SAPD Coalition and the San Antonio Police Department for comments but did not receive replies in time for publication. It always has been our fight. So, the result of such evil intent can never bring justice to a people who are aggrieved, said Minister Farrakhan. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9km2), all of it land. Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, are all- white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States that practice a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combination of discriminatory local laws, intimidation or violence. If your research (or ours) convinces you that a town was a sundown town, consider helping it transcend its white supremacist past. Police were often in on it and were sometimes the perpetrators themselves. Some historians have said it grew from analleged mugging, quickly blamed on Black residents. This list may not reflect recent changes . But some sundown towns had no signs, but the great target was and somewhat remained Blacks, he said. Sundown Towns are all-white communities, neighborhoods, or counties that exclude Blacks and other minorities through the use of discriminatory laws, harassment, and threats or use of violence. The travel advisory includes four different levels: Exercise normal precaution, exercise increased caution, reconsider travel and do not travel. Sundown towns re-entered the spotlight again in 2020 thanks to the HBO series Lovecraft Country. He had heard stories to avoid the city, which is located in Southeast Texas, but the trucker set out to deliver what he felt was a quick load. Today the town is still nearly 98% white. Elliot Jaspin, whose 2008book, "Buried in the Bitter Waters: The Hidden History of Racial Cleansing in America" featuredCorbin, said in an interview that while thatalternative history was passed down to helpabsolve the town, Corbin still became wellknown as one of the townswhere Black residents were unwelcome. The Courier-Journal reported in 1990 that some residents also feltthe film, which included residents making racist comments, exaggerated those attitudes. If you have additional information, pro or con, please email it to us. do not feel safe there, especially after sundown, and typically for good reason. In the early 1990s, a documentary about the riot, which featuredinterviews with residents who remembered it, sparked a backlash. According to Prof. Loewen, he located six sundown towns in Mississippi and expected to find 10 in Illinois and maybe 50 across the rest of the country. If you can't read, run anyway." people in the housing market but are there still any towns in the US which are known to not be welcoming to black/Hispanic people or other ethnic minorities, possibly in other ways such as segregation and even harassing and persecution? We know that the Communist Party back in the 1920s and 1930s also advocated separation, stated the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, during his message: The Question of Integration vs. Separation. This message was delivered July 20, 1980, at the Institute of Positive Education in Chicago, Illinois. Anything to attract more minorities is good, said Nathaniel Doneghy, who was among the few Black demonstrators attending vigils in London and Corbin. Presumably a vital part of the critically necessary Green Books which provided a guide to where Blacks could safely eat and rest while traveling throughout the country, knowledge of the overt dangers within various states, cities and towns was essential, Atty. One incident was in 1953 when Rotan visited Throckmorton High. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Vidor had been an "all white" town where no blacks had lived in up until 1993 when the US government had to bring blacks into Vidor's . Both of which were located on the outskirts of the city limits. The data collected by Dr. Loewen and his team uncovers that history and invites everyone to think critically about reasons behind why people live and don't live where they do today. We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague and remain committed to the work he began. It is well-documented that the Ku Klux Klan was active in Glendale as early as the 1920s when it was noted to be a strong organization including many of the businessmen of the suburban city [as] members of the masked brotherhood, and the KKK was active in Glendale in the 1960s, read the report. The team behind Justice in My Town - Old Guard. In modern-day times, sundown towns in Americaeither through the use of restrictive covenants throughout the town; violence or threats of the same threatening behavior by White individuals; ordinances; realtor steering; bank redlining; or other formal or informal policies, kept people out, according to History and Social Justice, the worlds only registry of sundown towns,inspired by Prof. Loewen. This summer, when Corbin and nearby London saw vigils and marches after the police shooting death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, it heartenedadvocates of the area's fledgling "Sunup Initiative," to helpreckon with Corbins past, promote racial justice and build diversity. The Defund SAPD (San Antonio Police Department) Coalition made the announcement on its Facebook page, which included a press release and a map of the city showing the travel advisory. Many Blacks and Whites love legendary musician/actor Nat King Coles hit song Route 66, traveling West, but they dont realize that half of the counties on the route were sundown towns, said Dr. Opio Sokoni, Jacksonville, Florida, activist, professor and filmmaker. William R. Hunt, Sundown towns are areas with all-white residents and have policies based on race, such as ordering Blacks to leave by nightfall. Sundown towns are especially still a problem for black drivers and many. The extensive research revealed that at least 60 of Kentucky's 782 towns are considered sundown towns. According to a 2021 article on BuzzFeed News, 30-year-old Marco Williams had a scary encounter after stopping for gas in June 2021. And separately, the Kentucky director of theadvocacy groupSouthern Crossroads has seen its recent campaign sloganRednecks for Black Lives urgingSouthern rural residents to support racial justice catch fire, drawing media attention and Facebook groups. A Black male trucker warns Black people in a TikTok video to stay out of Vidor, Texas, suggesting that racist enclaves known as sundown towns are alive and well, not mere relics of Americas past. What we cant control is peoples anger, and their resentment and their racism and how thats reflected, said Mr. Akili. The Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama once reported of 7 Ku Klux Klan factions of being active in Vidor at least since the 1950s. In the film, one resident claimed 1919 newspaper accounts were untrue, and thata group of railroad workerswere asked to leave for causing trouble. Public Domain Image. Chris Kenning is a statewide enterprise reporter. And that was the wonderful thing that people loved about the Nation of Islam, because they always found the silver lining in, hey, if you dont want to do for us, if you dont want to help us, we can do for ourselves.. How do we bring these people together the black people, the white people, and make a better community of people? he said. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Many of these towns have done a good job at wiping their dark history and it seems like anecdotal evidence is most of what remains of their horrors. While this may seem like a problem of the past, many all-white sundown towns still exist today, and they arent just in the South. In the city, the population was distributed as 34.0% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. Detroit Free Press wrote a news article about Vidors attempt of changing their image and had reported the sundown sign was taken down a few years prior to 1993. "The opposition to the Negro in Corbin is something fierce, he wrote, notingthey werent permitted to live or pass through the town without being run, shot and whipped. 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