We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague and remain committed to the work he began.
Even social scientists and historians who have done book-length studies of towns that keep out whites have often missed or ignored that aspect of the community. Probably the largest sundown area in the United States is the Ozark Plateau. In a 1936 study of the region, sociologist Walter Cralle did observe that African Americans had …
Bibliography of Works that Should Mention Sundown Towns But DON’T Read More »
Before the publication of Sundown Towns, the idea that many towns barred African Americans (and sometimes other groups) was not widely known. The notion was treated to some degree in books by four nonfiction authors: Frank Quillen, Ray Stannard Baker, Jacque Voegeli, and Emma Lou Thornbrough, cited in Sundown Towns. In addition, an unpublished work, Black Hillbillies of …
What we seek is information confirming that a given town did keep blacks out [if it did!], either through the use of restrictive covenants throughout the town, violence or threats of same, bad behavior by white individuals, an ordinance, realtor steering, bank redlining, or other formal or informal policies. While we are only interested in exclusion, …
Publication of Sundown Towns opened up an entire new area of study in history, sociology, geography, and related fields. Intrigued by their prevalence, Guy Lancaster studied sundown towns across Arkansas for his Ph.D. and it then became a published book. Now that we know that thousands of communities went sundown, there is room for many more, …
A database contributed by people across the nation underlies these maps and the tables you can generate. You can help by sending in information you have about towns new to us, or new information about towns we list. Historical Sundown Towns by State This map rests on a database entered by Loewen, Berrey, and students, …
“Tip for Journalists and Historians: When You Don’t See Blacks in a Community Ask Why” “Acknowledging History to Right a Wrong,” “History of Sundown Suburbs Threatens the Existence of Diverse Suburbs” “Mitch Daniels: Friend or Foe to Academic Freedom?” “Victimized by Folklore” “Rick Perry’s “Niggerhead” Camp Is Only Part of the Problem”
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. Loewen supervised a series of undergraduates at the University of Illinois, usually working in pairs. Other professors led entire seminars on sundown …
Sundown Towns in the Arts Matt Ruff’s novel Lovecraft Country – which was also adapted into an HBO series – pays homage to the legendary fantasy/horror writer H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) while at the same time attacking his severe white supremacy. Sundown Towns prompted the book. “Sundown in Southern Illinois” “Sundown Town” in Fayetteville, AR “No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs” …