Black Towns, Black Futures : The Enduring Allure of a Black Place in the American West

Some know Oklahoma's Black towns as historic communities that thrived during the Jim Crow era—this is only part of the story. In this book, Karla Slocum shows that the appeal of these towns is more than their past. Drawing on interviews and observations of town life spanning several years, Slocum reveals that people from diverse backgrounds are still attracted to the communities because of the towns' remarkable history as well as their racial identity and rurality. But that attraction cuts both ways. Tourists visit to see living examples of Black success in America, while informal predatory lenders flock to exploit the rural Black economies. In Black towns, there are developers, return migrants, rodeo spectators, and gentrifiers, too. Giving us a complex window into Black town and rural life, Slocum ultimately makes the case that these communities are places for affirming, building, and dreaming of Black community success even as they contend with the sometimes marginality of Black and rural America. "Beginning at the end of the Civil War and continuing for nearly fifty years, Oklahoma saw the settlement of over fifty unique towns with a common thread; in each of these towns, nearly every citizen was African American. Black town founders and residents, who were anxious to escape the racially hostile Deep South, built schools, banks, and churches, creating their own places of success and security. In this ethnographic study, Karla Slocum reveals the lasting importance of these all-black towns to Black Americans. Once considered icons of Black American economic and social achievement, these towns have been studied by historians, but here Slocum examines the present-day fascination they produce. Many of these towns still exist, though their populations have dwindled, and continue to hold an appeal for Black Americans seeking a safe and affirming residential space"--Publisher's description. "Beginning at the end of the Civil War and continuing for nearly fifty years, Oklahoma saw the settlement of over fifty unique towns with a common thread; in each of these towns, nearly every citizen was African American. Black town founders and residents, who were anxious to escape the racially hostile Deep South, built schools, banks, and churches, creating their own places of success and security. In this ethnographic study, Karla Slocum reveals the lasting importance of these all-black towns to Black Americans. Once considered icons of Black American economic and social achievement, these towns have been studied by historians, but here Slocum examines the present-day fascination they produce. Many of these towns still exist, though their populations have dwindled, and continue to hold an appeal for Black Americans seeking a safe and affirming residential space"-- Provided by publisher Cover; Contents; Preface; Acknowledgments; A Note On Place Names; Introduction; Chapter One: History Stories; Chapter Two: The Case For America; Chapter Three: Economic Futures; Chapter Four: Community Of Blackness; Chapter Five: The Appeal Of A Black Place; Epilogue; Notes; Glossary Of Place Names; Bibliography; Index; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; R; S; T; U; V; W; Y Karla Slocum. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Electronic Reproduction. Baltimore, Md Available Via World Wide Web. Giving us a complex window into Black town and rural life, Karla Slocum ultimately makes the case that these communities are places for affirming, building, and dreaming of Black community success even as they contend with the sometimes marginality of Black and rural America.