Erich, we are not talking about recent immigrants. We are talking about people with roots in this land, two, three, even four hundred years before your family or mine arrived on this continent. So catch up.
People do not immigrate to America and move into the projects in Chicago, or the ghettos of St. Louis, New York, or Los Angeles. Immigrants move here and reap the rewards of civil rights that African American people died to gain. Quite frankly, I think you are playing a racist game – and getting yourself all pumped up over how smart you are.
Time and time again, American citizens with black skin have built financially vibrant communities, only to be thrown out, run out, burned out, or had their homes, businesses and property stolen out from underneath them and torn down by the government.
Greenwood in Tulsa Oklahoma is just one of many black communities that was destroyed and left people starting all over again with nothing.
Let me list a few of the largest, and most prosperous black communities.
In California, the sorry and ugly tale begins in a town named Allensworth on Tulare Lake. Allensworth was founded in 1908 by Colonel Allen Allensworth who had been born a slave in Louisville, Kentucky in 1842, and became the highest-ranking black officer in the U.S. Army when he retired in 1906. Today, Allensworth is a state park. Most every year, on June 19th, the buildings are open to the public and you can experience a past that could have been our future (and white supremacists denied us).
Also in California, West Adams Heights near downtown Los Angeles - a community of wealthy, successful and famous black people that was destroyed.
Over 100 California cities had Sundown Laws. No black people allowed in city limits after sundown.
In the 1930s – NOT the 1830s, but the 1930s ! ! ! – both Burbank and Glendale, adopted “Sundown Town Laws” to keep blacks out – even denying black people access to one of the largest municipal parks in the country (Griffith Park’s 4, 210 acres).
Burbank – not Hollywood – was the home of Warner Brothers Studios, The Walt Disney Company, Nickelodeon Animation Studios, The Burbank Studios and Cartoon Network – and Lockheed's Skunk Works, which produced some of the most secret and technologically advanced airplanes in the world.
Pasadena is home to CalTech, JPL of Apollo fame and the Art Center College of Design (that trained 90% of the world’s automotive designers). By the 1950s – NOT the 1850s but the 1950s - Central and Northwest Pasadena was a thriving community of working class African, Mexican, white and Japanese Americans living in beautiful single family and multi-family residencies. In the early 1960s, the entire area was declared “blighted” and torn down (destroying decades of investments by people of color).
Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank closed their public pools, rather than allow blacks to swim there.
In Chicago, just north of downtown, healthy, prosperous black communities were declared “blighted” torn down and replaced by high-rise public housing, including the infamous Cabrini Greens. White developers made millions from the destruction. Chicago has revolved around a gang culture since its beginning. From the ashes of destroyed black businesses, jobs, homes, neighborhoods, schools and parks, black gangs emerged.
In New York City, Harlem, including all of Sugar Hill and Huntington Heights was the home of trillions upon trillions of dollars worth of African American music, dance, entertainment, literature and culture known as the Harlem Renaissance. Without Harlem, there would be no blues, no jazz, no Motown, no Rock & Roll and definitely NO Elvis Presley. Without Harlem, the home of Alexander Hamilton would have been demolished instead of preserved for future generations.
Erich, in the future, I beg you, please keep your ridiculous statistics to yourself.
