Sundown towns are a disturbing legacy of America’s racial discrimination, where communities used laws, intimidation, and violence to exclude people of color. Though these towns may no longer have the explicit signs or official ordinances of the past, many still exist in practice, relying on systemic barriers and unspoken threats to maintain exclusionary demographics.
What Are Sundown Towns?
The term “sundown town” originates from signs that explicitly warned non-white individuals to leave the area before sunset or face violent consequences. Historically, these towns used a mix of city ordinances, neighborhood covenants, and intimidation to keep communities racially homogeneous. While originally targeting African Americans, other groups, including Chinese, Mexicans, Japanese, Jewish, Italian, Irish, and Native Americans, also faced discrimination in these areas.
James W. Loewen’s research in his book Sundown Towns reveals that more than 500 towns, counties, and suburbs still operate under these exclusionary practices, even though legal segregation has been abolished. Many of these towns are not confined to the South; places like Illinois have a disproportionately high number of sundown towns, illustrating the national scope of the issue.
The Origins of Sundown Towns
Sundown towns have existed in various forms since Colonial America. For example:
- 1714: Colonial New Hampshire passed a law barring Black people and Native Americans from being in public after 9 PM, echoing England’s “Poor Laws.”
- Post-Civil War: Jim Crow laws emerged to suppress the rights of freed slaves. States like Virginia and Illinois enacted exclusionary policies, some as extreme as lashing Black residents caught in violation.
- Reconstruction Era: Oregon barred Black citizens from establishing residency, while states like Michigan imposed financial barriers that only wealthy African Americans could overcome.
Over time, private enterprises adopted exclusionary covenants in real estate, ensuring neighborhoods stayed predominantly white without needing overtly racist laws. These tactics persisted even after landmark rulings like Brown v. Board of Education, which outlawed segregation in schools.
Many modern sundown towns rely on their reputations to maintain homogeneity. Loewen’s ongoing project tracks these towns, and resources like Tougaloo College’s Justice website regularly update their list. This knowledge is crucial for minorities who might inadvertently visit such places, only to face hostility or worse.
Why Awareness Matters
While sundown towns are less visible today, their continued existence is a reminder of systemic inequality. Understanding their history and presence is vital to dismantling the remnants of racial bias and ensuring all communities are inclusive. Before planning visits to picturesque small towns, it’s worth checking whether they have a history of exclusion that could still influence their culture today.
America has come a long way, but as these examples show, the fight against racial discrimination is far from over.