#Sundown Towns

[tariah23]

Hm…

[odinsblog]

Patrick Braxton became the first Black mayor of Newbern, Alabama, when he was elected in 2020, but since then he has fought with the previous administration to actually serve in office. (Aallyah Wright/Capital B)

NEWBERN, Ala. — There’s a power struggle in Newbern, Alabama, and the rural town’s first Black mayor is at war with the previous administration who he says locked him out of Town Hall.

After years of racist harassment and intimidation, Patrick Braxton is fed up, and in a federal civil rights lawsuit he is accusing town officials of conspiring to deny his civil rights and his position because of his race.

“When I first became mayor, [a white woman told me] the town was not ready for a Black mayor,” Braxton recalls.

The town is 85% Black, and 29% of Black people here live below the poverty line.

“What did she mean by the town wasn’t ready for a Black mayor? They, meaning white people?” Capital B asked.

“Yes. No change,” Braxton says.

Decades removed from a seemingly Jim Crow South, white people continue to thwart Black political progress by refusing to allow them to govern themselves or participate in the country’s democracy, several residents told Capital B. While litigation may take months or years to resolve, Braxton and community members are working to organize voter education, registration, and transportation ahead of the 2024 general election.

But the tension has been brewing for years.

Two years ago, Braxton says he was the only volunteer firefighter in his department to respond to a tree fire near a Black person’s home in the town of 275 people. As Braxton, 57, actively worked to put out the fire, he says, one of his white colleagues tried to take the keys to his fire truck to keep him from using it.

In another incident, Braxton, who was off duty at the time, overheard an emergency dispatch call for a Black woman experiencing a heart attack. He drove to the fire station to retrieve the automated external defibrillator, or AED machine, but the locks were changed, so he couldn’t get into the facility. He raced back to his house, grabbed his personal machine, and drove over to the house, but he didn’t make it in time to save her. Braxton wasn’t able to gain access to the building or equipment until the Hale County Emergency Management Agency director intervened, the lawsuit said.

“I have been on several house fires by myself,” Braxton says. “They hear the radio and wouldn’t come. I know they hear it because I called dispatch, and dispatch set the tone call three or four times for Newbern because we got a certain tone.”

This has become the new norm for Braxton ever since he became the first Black mayor of his hometown in 2020. For the past three years, he’s been fighting to serve and hold on to the title of mayor, first reported by Lee Hedgepeth, a freelance journalist based in Alabama.

Incorporated in 1854, Newbern, Alabama, today has a population of 275 people — 85% of whom are Black. (Aallyah Wright/Capital B)

Not only has he been locked out of the town hall and fought fires alone, but he’s been followed by a drone and unable to retrieve the town’s mail and financial accounts, he says. Rather than concede, Haywood “Woody” Stokes III, the former white mayor, along with his council members, reappointed themselves to their positions after ordering a special election that no one knew about.

Braxton is suing them, the People’s Bank of Greensboro, and the postmaster at the U.S. Post Office.

For at least 60 years, there’s never been an election in the town. Instead, the mantle has been treated as a “hand me down” by the small percentage of white residents, according to several residents Capital B interviewed. After being the only one to submit qualifying paperwork and statement of economic interests, Braxton became the mayor.

(continue reading)

[contemplatingoutlander]

Trump continues having rallies in historic all-White "Sundown Towns," where Blacks had to leave by sunset.

Ayman Mohyeldin discusses the implications of Trump's having held rallies in Aug. and Sept. in four "Sundown Towns," where in the past Blacks had to leave/be off the streets by sundown. The rallies were held in Howell, MI, La Crosse, WI, and Johnstown, PA., and Mosinee, WI. Below is the video that Ayman posted on X.

AYMAN: "When your slogan is the nostalgic phrase Make America Great Again, a campaign tour of 'sundown towns' helps us all understand the America that Donald Trump is yearning for."

Trump keeps sending out his racist "dog whistles," while at the same time claiming that it is really "Whites" who are being discriminated against, and campaigning that he will ban the discussion in schools of "divisive" topics, like critical race theory, and instead promote a "patriotic" educational curriculum, like the whitewashed one developed by the 1776 Project in his last administration.

BlackPast: Sundown Towns:

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 name derives from the posted and verbal warnings issued to Blacks that although they might be allowed to work or travel in a community during the daytime, they must leave by sundown. Although the term most often refers to the forced exclusion of Blacks, the history of sundown towns also includes prohibitions against Jews, Native Americans, Chinese, Japanese, and other minority groups. Although it is difficult to make an accurate count, historians estimate there were up to 10,000 sundown towns in the United States between 1890 and 1960, mostly in the Mid-West and West.

The Green-Book

The rise of sundown towns made it difficult and dangerous for Blacks to travel long distances by car. In 1930, for instance, 44 of the 89 counties along the famed Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles featured no motels or restaurants and prohibited Blacks from entering after dark. In response, Victor H. Green, a postal worker from Harlem, compiled the Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide to accommodations that served Black travelers. The guide was published from 1936 to 1966, and at its height of popularity was used by two million people.

[edited]

[polyamorouspunk]

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Justice For Javion McGee

[thashining]

[writingwithcolor]

Black/white interracial lesbian couple on alien road trip

nathaliebjoern asked:

What concerns would A have going on a roadtrip in USA in an alien/sci-fi tourist stops type way (circa 2013)? A is Black, grew up and lives in Denmark, parents are from African-country-yet-to-be-determined (possibly Ethiopia, but I do take suggestions here), going to USA with (white) girlfriend. Example: they're worried about being two young girls on a road trip (exacerbated by being wlw) so they are taking self defence before leaving (bonus: gets convenient/relevant later when they have to fight sudden, real aliens). Is there some specific concern A would have (bonus if relevant for alien hunting or car chasing adventures)? What precautions would she take or concerns might she have? Any concerns she might discuss with gf, even if there are no precautions to take? Or just ruminate over in internal monologue, i guess, but i want them to have a healthy relationship with lots of communication lol. She's the planning, overprepared type! I want the focus to be on their Alien fighting road trip adventure and coming of age lesbianism in the background, but i want to still acknowledge any issues A might have.

"I want the focus to be on their Alien fighting road trip adventure and coming of age lesbianism in the background, but i want to still acknowledge any issues A might have."

How far the world has progressed in terms of discrimination in your alien sci-fi world is up to you. Based on your description, racism and homophobia still exists. Perhaps it just isn't as much of a problem in this setting or story. Or encounters would depend on the town so your characters avoid and don't happen upon areas that may be a problem for the couple. Either way, it is not erasure to have a story where discrimination isn't something the characters encounter. I find this to be especially true for science fiction and fantasy.

As a Black woman who likes to travel, and in an interracial relationship, I take certain precautions before I travel. One way I do this is to research the travel experiences shared from Black women and mixed couples who've been to the places that I'm considering. I also look into news stories and reports about any incidents in the area.

This could also apply if you're LGBTQIA, in an interracial relationship and so on. As your character is a planning, super prepared type, it'd make sense if they mapped out their stops to make sure they were interracial couple / Black / LGBTQIA+ friendly and avoided any places that were not.

Also, what "friendly" or safe looks like may vary. Not all travel experiences are blatant in their discrimination or othering behavior.

What general attitudes might range from: ideas

The travelers blend in. There's enough diversity and tourism where you don't get an unwelcome attitude from the townspeople.

Some stares, second-glances and curiousity, but little to no blatant hostility.

Strong "celebrity-status" othering, to the point of being touched, pictures snapped of you, asked to poise for photos if asked at all, given free gifts, etc. (Note: this can be quite uncomfortable)

Stares and standoffish behavior from locals, but no incidents of violence.

Bold-faced hostility, such as intimidating glares, recording, taunts, yelling, and possible physical encounters like spitting.

Explicit threats, violence, being warned to leave, high risks of bodily harm.

Note that this doesn't mean everyone in a place would all act this way. I've traveled where there were stares of curiosity in one city or standoffish behavior in others, but it didn't extent to everyone in those places, staff, and so on. It also didn't sum up every single encounter. I've even heard tales of the very hostile places where a person warns the traveler that they should leave to avoid trouble from others in the town, usually out of kind warning. One can travel anywhere, really, and come across hostile people, and in that same town experience kindness.

Applying these travel experiences your story

The characters just mentioning that they've done their research and will avoid these kinds of places with known negative experiences should be enough. You don't need an actual experience of discrimination to play out, if you'd rather avoid that.

If you did want to include something without including an active experience, you could bring up the matter by mentioning the history of a place. For example, they learn some info and tell their partner that "Blank, Tennessee was once a sundown town and would've been unsafe for us ninety years ago." Or they mention some historical event that happened at a certain place, possibly even visiting a historic monument or museum.

I hope this helps; your story sounds fun!

~Mod Colette

[risingpilots]

This map of sundown towns in the US sure is interesting...

[black-paraphernalia]

Victor Hugo Green, a Black postman from Harlem, NY set out to change the fate of millions of Blacks looking for safe passage to better lands. In 1936 he created The Negro Travelers’ Green Book.

The book, which was dedicated to making travel comfortable and safe for Black travelers, was a list of Black-friendly businesses which Blacks could visit without persecution or harassment from whites. The 15-page guide listed restaurants, hotels, beauty salons, drug stores, barber shops, nightclubs, and any other businesses Blacks might frequent while on the road. 

The guide also included newspaper articles and even read like a magazine, with travel essays, how-to manuals, and travel tips. The book stayed in publication until 1967, three years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, which greatly reduced the number of sundown towns in America.

But even though sundown towns are not as mainstream as they were at the start of the 19th century, they still very much exist. There may not be a sign hanging up when you enter the town that says, “This is a sundown town, Blacks beware.” But the rules still apply.

There are towns in America right now that are not safe for Black people after dark–it is a sad truth. Fortunately, there is a sundown town database and an interactive map that allows you to select a state and see a list of historic sundown towns, as well as towns that could still hold these toxic values. The site shows the sheer number of possible sundown towns in every state in the union.

DRIVING SCARED – Is your Town a Sundown Town?

I had never heard of a sundown town and did not know they existed. But, they still do. James W. Loewen, bestselling author of Lies My Teacher Told Me, exposes the chilling history of these towns that sprung up to keep out African Americans and non-whites in his book Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of White Racism. 

 “ A sundown town is a community that for decades kept non-whites from living in it and was thus ’all-white‘ on purpose. Some allowed a non-white household or two as an exception.“ The history of sundown towns is described as being “hidden in plain sight.” Many people may assume these towns are in the south, but they are all over the United States.

Despite this, most of what is known today about the topic is through the research of sociology professor James W. Loewen. The rules of a sundown town, though unofficial, are clear: “Black people were allowed to pass through during the day or go in to shop or work, but they had to be gone by nightfall. Anyone breaking the rules could risk arrest, a beating or worse.”

Restricting the movements of Black people on the basis of skin color was a public health crisis then, just as the effects of racism are today.

DRIVING SCARED – Is your Town a Sundown Town?       By Sheila Lettsome

Black Americans in the 21st century need to be aware that sundown towns are still a reality

Here are some links below to see were some of these towns are today and the full story of the except of this post along with additional reading links. *BP*

Sundown Towns:Racial Segregation Past And Present

The Green Book: The Black Travelers’ Guide to Jim Crow America

An echo of the ‘sundown towns’ that banned and threatened Black people By Peter Carlson on Washington Post

Historical Database of Sundown Towns click on the map to show the town

Black Paraphernalia Disclaimer - Please Read

[heymrsamerica]

Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, were all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States that practiced a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combination of discriminatory local laws, intimidation or violence.

[geezerwench]

Sundown Towns by State - History and Social Justice

The entire county I grew up in is listed as a sundown town. Calvert County in Maryland. Which really isn't all that surprising, but in a way, it is. I know. That doesn't make sense.

I'm white. My family is white.

In the 60s, 70s, and into the 1980s, the population was about 40% Black. I had Black and white teachers throughout the years I went to public school. Male and female teachers! It was normal to me.

My Mom drove a school bus for a private contractor who was a Black man

I was the minority white kid in a drum corp. Didn't think all that much about it. That's just how it was. I thought everywhere was like the county I grew up in.

Then I got married and moved halfway across the US to Louisiana in 1980. I asked one of the ladies I was friends with, "Where are all the Black people?"

Didn't see them anywhere. I didn't see Black people at the grocery store or the little convenience store on the corner. There weren't any working at the fast food joints or the car dealer. Didn't see them at the mall or movie theater or restaurants. It was weird. It was abnormal. There was something about it that just felt not quite right.

I was young and quite naive.

Where were all the Black people?

Her answer was, "Oh, they know their place."

I was flabbergasted. Like, where do they buy groceries and clothes and cars? Where do they work? Where do they live?

It was so strange to me. Little did I realize that most places were like Louisiana and not Calvert County. It was a learning experience.

[lenbryant]

JJ on Jason Aldean.

[cyarsk5230]

Ofcourse this racist

@Jason_Aldean

thinks it's no big deal to dress in black face. I mean he just made a song about Sundown towns, oops I mean Small-towns!!!!

Small towns are basically sundown towns

[ausetkmt]

Detroit is ringed by sundown towns