5 ms·

I'm surprised there wasn't an influx after the Civil War. The article sort of glosses over that period. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exodusters https://en.wiki

• peterwwillis 10y ago
  Most blacks who migrated to cities from the south after the war were met with at the very least skepticism, though usually outright racism and violence. Between the beginning of this general 'migration' to urban areas and the MLK riots, white people became increasingly 'motivated' to move to the suburbs, which led over time to the urban centers deteriorating until they were completely unstable, usually necessitating rescue by the state [affordable housing, food stamps, etc]. Eventually a trickle of white development/business starts the reverse process of gentrification. I am not aware of a single case of increase in urban development having a net benefit to the black community, mainly because they are almost never the target demographic for that development. When people complain about shitty urban areas full of blight, homeless, mentally unstable, crime, etc, they're basically complaining about the state of the urban center which white people created when they moved out decades ago.
  • lwhalen 10y ago
    Wait, explain to me slowly how it's white-people's fault that an area deteriorates after they move out. Generally the absence of a person means they relinquish responsibility for what goes on in a place that they aren't occupying, at least in my fragile, tiny mind.
    • Kinnard 10y ago
      There's a lot more going on than that. If that's not obvious then I'd expect its because you haven't investigated the issues. Black communities and neighborhoods are specifically targeted for destruction and/or acquisition. Black families and communities have born the brunt of the War on Drugs. A community is not going to do well when a large swath of its fathers are rounded up, caged, and permanently barred from living a life of dignity.
      • lwhalen 10y ago
        Excuse me? I grew up in Detroit and Flint, and come from a broken family. I earned my way up and out of those particular hell-holes, making my way to the East Coast and lately the West. Please, do tell me more about how I haven't investigated the issues of Black families and communities being targeted for acquisition, etc.
        • Kinnard 10y ago
          Have you familiarized yourself with the psychology of trauma and the praxis of healing? Are you a descendant of Black slaves? Blacks who fled the South forming enclaves in the Cities of America were refugees. But unlike other refugees they never received the post-trauma treatment we give other survivors. They also encountered crushing discrimination wherever they went. They were shut-out of opportunities to improve their lives and the lives of their families, the effects of enslavement, slavery, terrorism, segregation, and discrimination do not disappear because a new law is passed making those things illegal. They reverberate across generations.
          • lwhalen 10y ago
            No, and yes. If I leave a location, I am so incredibly not-responsible for what happens to it after I'm gone. If you think otherwise, I suspect you have some cause-and-effect bits in your brain that are irreparably damaged.
            • Kinnard 10y ago
              I think you're misunderstanding. No one is saying that "you are responsible for what has happened in Flint and Detroit." We are saying that racism is one of the driving engines—if not THE driving engine—of these processes. EDIT: And being blind to that perpetuates the problems!
              • lwhalen 10y ago
                G-G-GP said "When people complain about shitty urban areas ... they're basically complaining about the state of the urban center which white people created when they moved out decades ago." I said, "Tell me how a person's absence means they're at fault for what happens to a place after they're gone". I've achieved some level of economic success since I moved myself out of 'the hood'. The implication I'm picking up on is that the blight that has continued/worsened since I've left is somehow, inexplicably, my fault for not sticking around. Please, explain how that is or is not the case.
    • peterwwillis 10y ago
      Dang, posted that to the wrong comment. White people push back against black kids going to their schools, businesses, etc. Few good jobs for blacks. Eventually white people move out, bringing their businesses, and revenue, with them to the suburbs. Money doesn't come into the city, no new businesses are developed, racially-divisive restrictions from banks make things worse. Crime and drug abuse increases, partly due to the squalid nature of the resulting segregation and lack of economic stability. Riots in a reaction to all this and the biggest civil rights leader of the century dying verifies white people's worst fears and the white flight moves into overdrive. With record low access to education, jobs, housing, record high drug use/crime, and racist authority figures/policies, what was a not very good situation becomes a terrible situation, and literally the whole society is engineered to fail, with no recourse for improvement. Read my other comment below for reading material.
      • lwhalen 10y ago
        So what should white people have done in the past/what should they do in the future, to not be guilty of these terrible social sins that appear to be their fault no matter what actions they take?
• douche 10y ago
  The railroad didn't get finished until a few years after the Civil War. Prior to that, going west would involve considerable capital expenses (if you've played Oregon Trail, you know you need oxen/horses, a wagon, parts, food, etc, etc). Kind of hard for freedmen in the wake of the Civil War, in devastated Southern territory, 40 acres and a mules notwithstanding, to scrape up that initial investment.
  • Kinnard 10y ago
    That makes a lot of sense and I think answers my question. Thanks!!