Sundown town. May 3, 2022 · Context While unofficial "sundown towns," a term for a town that prohibits Black people after dark, still reportedly exist in the United States, a viral image of a sign reading "Whites only within This site was created by Matt Cheney, revised by OddBird, copyrighted by James W. Sep 1, 2020 · Editor’s note: This is an abridged version of an article originally published on Reckoning with Whiteness. S. It's a super cute town and a college town so there are POC there. These towns were prevalent across the United States, particularly between 1890 and 1968. The term came into use because of signs that directed "colored Jun 19, 2024 · Sundown Towns: Vidor, Texas works to restore reputation from being racist For many years, Vidor, Texas was a place where Black travelers did not want to be caught after the sun went down. 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. These communities were known as “sundown towns” — both to residents and those passing through. Feb 20, 2025 · Alice Eady and Freddie Holcy remember harrowing times while living in what was once considered a sundown town. Here's where they are and what to do if you can't avoid them. Florence is a popular place for older gay couples, so they might be a little more left leaning. In the Spring of 2018, I sat with my mom in her living room. The first curfews exclusively for people of color in the U. If your research (or ours) convinces you that a town was a Categories: History of racism in the United States by state or territory Sundown towns in the United States Society of the United States by state African-American history by state or territory White nationalism in the United States by state Dozens of students, from middle-schoolers in Ohio doing a project for National History Day to grad students finishing dissertations in Arkansas and the suburbs of Los Angeles, have worked on confirming sundown towns. “They emerged to promote and protect white wealth, white property, and whiteness Trump accused of deliberately choosing ‘sundown’ towns with racist histories for his rallies Critics point to a ‘troubling pattern’ of campaign stops in midwestern towns that Kamala Harris Pages in category "Sundown towns in Texas" The following 10 pages are in this category, out of 10 total. Apr 28, 2022 · Are there currently sundown towns in the U. This refers to an area where non- white people , even white people, may be subject to criticism when entering after sunset in the United States and elsewhere if it Als Sundown town, Sunset town oder Gray town werden in den Vereinigten Staaten Städte oder Stadtteile mit überwiegend weißer Bevölkerung bezeichnet, in denen nichtweißen Personen, vor allem Afroamerikanern, geraten wurde, sich nach Sonnenuntergang (englisch sundown, sunset) nicht mehr dort aufzuhalten. Mostly heavily Trumpian and redneck. Sep 20, 2024 · The map key consists of six colors used as dots to identify the towns that are either surely, probably, possibly, or unlikely a sundown town. 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. Loewen in seinem Buch: Sundown Jun 21, 2023 · James W. If your research (or ours) convinces you that a town was a [This list is a work in progress. The term “sundown town” comes from signs that were posted at the town’s borders warning African Americans to leave by sundown. Angry that the Chinese workers were willing to work for less money, the rioters killed 35 people, wounded 15, and chased more than 700 others from town, then burnt down their neighborhoods. It referred to towns that posted signs requiring people of color to leave by sundown. Also note: some towns are * ’d. May 24, 2022 · Was your Wisconsin community a ‘sundown town’? A look at the past, present and future of racial restrictions in Wisconsin Sep 4, 2024 · Critics point to a ‘troubling pattern’ of campaign stops in midwestern towns that Kamala Harris’s campaign has called a racist ‘bullhorn,’ Alex Woodward reports Nov 27, 2023 · This hour, we discuss the history and legacy of "sundown towns" where we live. They are not suspected sundown towns but are listed for other reasons. Reply reply MeatPopsicle_AMA • Sundown towns were communities that excluded African Americans and other minority groups through discriminatory local laws, intimidation, and violence. If you have additional information, pro or con, please email it to us. Loewen supervised a series of undergraduates at the University of Illinois, usually working in pairs. And definitely Astoria. . Over Dec 19, 2023 · A sundown town is a place where non-white individuals were not allowed after dark. Loewen and heirs (Nick Loewen), and is maintained by Phil Huckelberry and Stephen Berrey. The national sundown town database on Loewen’s website lists 112 possible sundown towns in California. went into effect in 1714. Aug 22, 2025 · What is a sundown town? Alion’s video title, “sundown town,” is technically a historic term. You can assess the information provided to form your own determination as to whether the town is a confirmed sundown town. Other professors led entire seminars on sundown … How to Research and Teach 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. Rockaway Beach is another option. 5 days ago · Discover the history of California's sundown towns and their lasting impact on black residents. Some of these places may be counties or neighborhoods rather than towns. And a lot of them were outside the South. Welcome to the world’s only registry of sundown towns. He joins us, plus ProPublica reporter Logan Jaffe. This list may not reflect recent changes. His work is still helping us understand racism. Detroit is ringed by sundown towns. I'd say most small towns in Oregon are pretty racist overall. Now, the town is hoping to clean up its racist reputation. Just click on a state to see an alphabetical list of all the sundown towns we know about, think may been sundown towns, and have managed to get up onto the site. In 1885, an armed mob of White miners attacked a Chinese neighborhood in Rock Springs, Wyoming. We lounged in nicely upholstered recliners, hers with a view of her yard, lined by flowers in full bloom and the Kanawha River just beyond. It is also called Grey Town or Sunset Town. These towns used This category lists populated places in California that at any point practiced a form of segregation known as a sundown town. Black dots represent Black towns or townships. Jul 28, 2025 · More generally, sundown town is used to describe a place where the resident population was through deliberate action made to be overwhelmingly composed of white people. Jun 8, 2022 · This infographic about sundown towns illustrates the concentration of sundown towns by state, across the United States. A sundown town is a municipality or neighborhood within the United States that practices or once practiced a form of racial segregation characterized by intimidation, hostility, or violence among White people directed toward non-Whites, especially against African Americans. … Sep 28, 2022 · When Cullman County, Ala. I sat down with a history professor to learn more about these communities and their impact. [This list is a work in progress. Between 1890 and 1968, thousands of towns across the United Jan 21, 2008 · James Loewen documents the rise of 'sundown towns' and their enduring legacy. Feb 22, 2024 · Harrisburg may not have technically been a sundown town but across the region Black residents experienced the racist attitudes and policies that were emblematic to this chapter in American history. Cities often enforced this exclusionary practice through Dec 7, 2016 · Brief History of Sundown Towns Sundown towns, sometimes known as sunset towns, are all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States that practice racism in a form of segregation by enforcing restrictions excluding people of other races via some combination of racial, discriminatory local laws, intimidation, and violence. With several documented sundown towns right here in Illinois. Loewen’s book Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism, released in 2005, calls out cities across the United States for their historically discriminatory practices of excluding Black and other non-white individuals from living within city borders, either through formal exclusionary policies or informal methods. These towns are categorized on the website as either possible, probable, or surely, as it is difficult to categorize “sundown towns” because of varying degrees of White workers’ fear of competition for jobs drove many Chinese people out of western towns and cities. Hosted by Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS, 39174 and facilitated by Pantheon. , was founded in 1873, it was advertised as a place with "No Blacks and No Indians. Georgia had a number of these towns, and the legacy of their exclusionary practices still lingers in some communities today. If your research (or ours) convinces you that a town was a Aug 27, 2025 · Sundown Town is a concept created by artificially expanding racial discrimination in the United States to the county level. ? Some may say they are a thing of the past. They were most prevalent before the 1950s. '” “Sometimes I second this. Explore the demographic shifts and ongoing challenges. Stephen Berrey recently took over a massive database mapping thousands of these communities, from California to Connecticut. University of Michigan's Dr. Sep 3, 2020 · There is widespread misconception that sundown towns were mostly concentrated in the Deep South and Midwest, as depicted in Lovecraft Country’s first episode of the series, which was set along Feb 16, 2020 · Sociologist James Loewen, an anti-racism advocate who spoke at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2016, wrote in his book “Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism” that “a sundown town is any organized jurisdiction that for decades kept African Americans or other groups from living in it and was thus ‘all white. Some allowed a non-white household or two as an exception. " But one of the oldest communities in Cullman County was a safe haven for Black people. When sociologist James Loewen took his first academic position at Tougaloo College, he couldn’t have known the profound impact his work on sundown towns Sep 2, 2020 · But similar numbers of sundown towns existed in the West as well, including in California up until the mid-20th century. Der Begriff Sundown town wurde 2006 vom Autor James W. Dec 16, 2024 · Fifty years ago, a college professor started studying communities that excluded Black people. For the purposes of the data below, a “sundown town” is defined as a town that was at some point in its history deliberately “whites only”, though some sundown towns allowed a single black family to remain. If your research (or ours) convinces you that a town was a Feb 26, 2024 · Historians say that a sundown town is a town or city that intentionally kept people of color, specifically black Americans, out of their town after sundown. A sundown town is a community that for decades kept non-whites from living in it and was thus “all-white” on purpose. Sep 21, 2021 · For much of the 20th century, thousands of all-white American towns forbade Black people from being within the city limits after nightfall. If translated, it can be called Sunset City or Sunset Village . zocv mdw ffes jctmceh chl gygex hwpiqo umgu iwrlhnb yfyw