Building the Black city : the transformation of American life
Publication Information
Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2024]
Physical Description
xv, 285 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
Summary
"A new way of seeing Black history--through a sweeping look at how American cities developed from the vision, aspirations, and actions of the Black poor. Building the Black City shows how African Americans built and rebuilt thriving cities for themselves, even as their unpaid and underpaid labor enriched the nation's economic, political, and cultural elites. Covering an incredible range of cities across the U.S., Joe William Trotter, Jr., traces the growth of Black cities and political power from the preindustrial era to the present. Trotter defines the Black city as a complicated socioeconomic, spiritual, political, and spatial process, unfolding time and again as Black communities carved out urban space against the violent backdrop of recurring assaults on their civil and human rights--including the right to the city. This book reminds us that the case for reparations must also include a profound appreciation for the creativity and productivity of African Americans on their own behalf" --
Contents
- Introduction. Framing the Black city-building process
- Part one. South, Southeast, and Southwest
- Majority and near-majority Black cities
- City-building on the middle ground
- Forging the new South city
- On the edges of the Deep South
- Part two. Northeast, Midwest, and West
- Building their own "city on the hill"
- Establishing the industrial metropolis
- Constructing the Black city under "that open sky"
- Conclusion. Reflections on the postindustrial age.