This has been there since many years now. Sundown town refers to a locality in United States of America which restricted the entry of colored people in the town. The term ‘sundown’ refers to the dictum which expected colored people to leave the town by sunset/sundown.
Racism has existed in America since its very inception. And the recent events are only a brief overview of how ugly things have been in America when it comes to racism. Of course, there have been improvements. People’s outlook has drastically changed over the years. However, racism still manages to maneuver through the changing times.
One of the reasons for racism to still exist is the ignorance of its existence. Realizing that something exists right within the society that we live in can be quite a revelation.
As Morgan Jerkins, Author of New York Times bestseller, ‘This will be my Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America’, states in her recent article –
Rachelle’s family’s first home in a well-to-do suburb in Los Angeles was set on fire in 1945. As a kid, white people would frequently hose her. She named other sundown towns she’d grown up around: Culver City, Glendale, South Pasadena. These were all cities that I, as a child, thought were paradise. I realized sundown towns are much more widespread than I thought.
Morgan Jerkins, Medium – Think Sundown Towns Are a Thing of the Past? Think Again
:
