A recent conversation with Dr. Loewen

books:


	• Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism James W. Loewen Touchstone, 2006 - 576 pages average customer review:based on 21 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Could have been so much better.

After the first one hundred pages, I was ready to give this five stars. I have lived or worked in most of the towns mentioned in Southern Illinois, and the book correctly presents a great deal of information. On the other hand, some of the oral histories were quite incorrect. Eldorado has not had a "sundown sign" since 1960 at least, if ever. But the author claims it had such a sign into the 1980's. The mayor of Benton, Illinois remarks were taken out of context and totally misrepresented her, and her comments. These errors and several similar ones could have easily been avoided, making the book much better. The tragedy is that his points are well made and accurate generally, but when errors creep in it allows those who are racist in their attitudes to mount a defense that the book is filled with inaccuracies. If this were the only problem, I would still give the book four and one half to five stars.
The greatest problem with this book is when the author allows his own political views to overshadow reality in assuming that race was the motivation for many southern whites to vote Republican for the past forty years. Saline County (Eldorado, IL), Franklin County (Benton, West Frankfort and Ziegler, IL) and Union County (Anna, IL) are some of the most racist communities in the United States. Yet, these communities rarely even have Republican candidates on the ballot for local elections. The Democrat Party reigns supreme in these communities. Party affiliation is not reflective of racist attitudes. This is the great blemish on what could have been a truly great book. It does shine light on a horrible problem. It is a common reality throughout the United States. Much of the analysis is excellent. But the author's personal biases tarnished the final product.

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I grew up in a "Sundown Town"

I am African American and I grew up in one of the towns in the northeast mentioned in the book (I didn't read the book, my sister told me about it, she said it was very good so that's where my rating comes from.) This town was EXTREMELY RACIST. My siblings and I were the only African American kids in the local school and we went through hell. We were called "nigger" so many times that we lost count. I heard that this town "opened up" in the 1980's, but I still cannot bring myself to go back there.

Nevertheless, I don't hate white people or anyone else for that matter. I try to judge people as individuals, and have raised my children to do the same. In fact, I feel sorry for the people who were so hateful to us. What kind of person gets pleasure or satisfaction from inflicting pain on others?

I live in a large city that has its share of racial problems. However, I live in a very nice, integrated neighborhood. There are blacks, Asians, and Latinos. Many of the residents (including myself) are city workers. I have to admit that I would have not moved there if there were no other people of color there. At the risk of contradicting myself, I just would not feel comfortable being the only black person in an all-white neighborhood. Been there, done that, and it wasn't fun.

I just can't bring myself to read this book, though, because it would bring back too many painful memories.

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Now I Understand.

First off, thank you to Professor Loewen for his painstaking research. Biased or not he backs up his information and makes you think as long as your mind is open and willing to absorb.

I'm an African-American, 37, grew up in a all-black neighborhood, but it wasn't always that way. I remember and have pictures of when I was 4 or 5, my next door neighbors were white and at least half of my block had white families. My brother and sister are 9 and 10 years older than me and they remember when the neighborhood was predominately white. They as well as I went to a Catholic school for grade school. They told me stories of racial slurs yelled towards them while walking together to school, but ten years later I never heard any. They had white classmates, I did not. At least not until I went to a different school starting in 5th grade, a predominately white school(about 95%). Believe me, I'll get to my point

While in this mostly black Catholic school I received all A's all the way up until 4th grade. In the 4th grade I received my first B. My father subsequently lost his mind and took me out of the school at the end of the year. He told me he was placing me in a mostly white private school. I really didn't think anything of it until I took the test for admission and barely passed. The admissions office told me I needed to attend summer school just to be admitted in the 5th grade or else I would have had to repeat 4th grade. WHAT THE !@#$. I got all A's, get 1 B in the 4th grade and I may have to repeat? Was this white suburban private school that much tougher than my black, city Catholic school? Well anyway I went to summer school and attended 5th grade but never got all A's ever again. It wasn't for lack of effort, it was because I never had the foundation for learning or skill set for that matter. I grew up in Philadelphia. The public school system has always been a mess. My father thought Catholic school was a step up. It was until he realized in order for me to have a chance I needed to be challenged and make connections.

These white kids parents had loot. Big houses, big cars, prestigious jobs etc. They mostly came from the suburbs, areas not to far from me but not areas where black folks lived. I never knew why until I grew up. I made friends quickly, even spent the night at their houses. I remember the odd looks I received in their neighborhoods from kids who had never seen a black face up close. No one ever called me any names but I did feel tension. One of my white friends even came to my neighborhood and spent the night. He never complained but I could tell he was a tad uncomfortable. Any way the value of schooling with the majority cannot be overstated. I learned how to deal with the upper class white majority something my neighborhood friends never did because they were not exposed.

Fast forward, today I own a DJ/Wedding business and 95% of my customers are white. I know some of my potential customers see color and would never hire a black DJ for a white wedding. then again some do not and hire me. I feel the stares at all my weddings when the crowd walks in, I'm dressed in a tux and people ask me where are their seats, like Im waiting on tables. I tell them I'm the DJ and I'm not sure where they're sitting and this blank stare lasts for about 3 seconds and they just walk away. It's funny but it's not. But by the end of the night it's all good.

I say all this because this book answers a ton of my own personal questions about race relations, things I've heard from family, things I've experienced and why things(neighborhoods) are the way they are. I have been very fortunate but most African-Americans have not been afforded the opportunities I have. Then again my post could have been entirely different had I grown up in an area that was not a racially tolerant as Philly, and Philly has it's own racial issues. I have no hatred of white folks, I was taught well. I would hope this book teaches and makes all races understand what we(Americans)are up against as a society. Open your minds.

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A recent conversation with Dr. Loewen

We recently had Dr. Loewen as a guest for an online meeting of the Everyday Democracy Book Club. It was interesting to hear whether he feels his book has made much of a difference (he doesn't, yet) and what needs to happen to overcome the legacy of Sundown Towns. Here's his prescription and a link to the conversation.
http://democracyspace.typepad.com/democracyspaceorg/2008/07/three-steps-tow.html

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The explosive story of racial exclusion in the north, from the American Book Award-winning author of Lies My Teacher Told Me

As American as apple pie:
? Most suburbs in the United States were originally sundown towns.
? As part of the deepening racism that swept through the United States after 1890, town after town outside the traditional South became intentionally all-white, evicting their black populations with tactics that ranged from intimidation to outright violence.
? From Myakka City, Florida, to Kennewick, Washington, the nation is dotted with thousands of all-white towns that are (or were until recently) all-white on purpose. Sundown towns can be found in almost every state.

"Don't let the sun go down on you in this town." We equate these words with the Jim Crow South but, in a sweeping analysis of American residential patterns, award-winning and bestselling author James W. Loewen demonstrates that strict racial exclusion was the norm in American towns and villages from sea to shining sea for much of the twentieth century.

Weaving history, personal narrative, and hard-nosed analysis, Loewen shows that the sundown town was?and is?an American institution with a powerful and disturbing history of its own, told here for the first time. In Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere, sundown towns were created in waves of violence in the early decades of the twentieth century, and then maintained well into the contemporary era.

Sundown Towns redraws the map of race relations, extending the lines of racial oppression through the backyard of millions of Americans?and lobbing an intellectual hand grenade into the debates over race and racism today.

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