Why America Abandoned Its Most Successful Black Towns

In 1960, Kinloch, Missouri — the first Black city ever incorporated in the state — had about 6,500 residents. By 2020, the Census counted 263. Not because of a fire or a flood. In this video we map the towns Black Americans built after slavery and what happened to them: Nicodemus, Kansas, bypassed by the railroad; Eatonville, Florida, the hometown of Zora Neale Hurston; Mound Bayou, Mississippi, "the jewel of the Delta"; Boley and Greenwood's Black Wall Street in Oklahoma; Rosewood, Florida; Allensworth, California; Africatown, Alabama, founded by survivors of the Clotilda; and Princeville, North Carolina, the oldest town chartered by Black Americans. Geography, economy, history — and above all, decisions made outside the town. Is there a historic Black town near where you live, or where your family comes from? Is it still there? Tell me in the comments. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, National Park Service, Florida Legislature (Rosewood compensation, 1994), California State Parks, historical archives.