It was highlighted as a key resource for understanding the history of Sundown Towns and the racist practices used to exclude people of color from predominantly white communities.
What Dr. Lohan calls the Sundown Town Movement started in the United States at the end of the 19th century and it continued through the 60s and it was a movement that was led by white people.
— Episode: 345 - Congrats to Australia
Episode: 345 - Congrats to Australia
It was highlighted as a key resource for understanding the history of Sundown Towns and the racist practices used to exclude people of color from predominantly white communities.
What Dr. Lohan calls the Sundown Town Movement started in the United States at the end of the 19th century and it continued through the 60s and it was a movement that was led by white people.
And what Dr. Lohan found was white people attempted to drive anyone of color, black, brown, indigenous, Mexican, Chinese, Jewish people out of their all white communities using intimidation and violence.
So if a non-white person was seen in a town after dark, they might be denied services, they could be harassed, they could be killed.
And so what he found was that there were perhaps as many as 15,000 independent towns plus another 2,000 to 10,000 suburbs that could be classified as Sundown Towns.
White residents feeding and maintaining a culture of persecution, violence, and discrimination resulting in a dearth of diversity and a community that tolerates hatred and violence is Dr. Lohan says in his book, Martinsville's not unusual for the most part, precisely what is so alarming about sundown towns, their astonishing prevalence across this country has made them not newsworthy except on special occasions.