From the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, African Americans relocated and created thriving neighborhoods across the United States. The most well-known are Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harlem, New York, Dallas, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia, and West Oakland, California. However, there are others that became breaking ground for historical landmarks and businesses.
The Hayti District of Durham, NC was known as "The Black Capitol of the South". From the 1880s to the 1940s, the district was one of the most successful Black communities in the country with over 200 businesses. Washington D.C.'s U Street was known as "Black Broadway". The area thrived with the most well-known entertainers, activists, educators, and artists of the 19th-20th century. The area is still home to Black-owned landmark shops that have thrived over the decades such as Ben’s Chili Bowl and Lee’s Flower and Card Shop. Jackson Ward- Richmond, VA was affectionately named the "Harlem of the South. The town was home to the first Black and woman-owned bank in the country, St. Luke Penny Savings, which was founded by entrepreneur and monumental figure Maggie L. Walker. Boley, Oklahoma is a town that was owned by a former enslaved Abigail Barnett McCormick. It is one of the 13 remaining black-owned towns in the US. Boley is home to the first Black-owned electric company and the nation’s oldest Black community-based rodeo. Treme', Louisiana is the oldest black neighborhood in the United States. Many historical moments took place in Tremé during the mid to late-1800s; the first civil rights movement and the launch of the first Black daily newspaper, “The Tribune.” It’s also the home of the country’s oldest predominantly African-American Catholic church, St. Augustine’s Church.
These historical African American neighborhoods are prime examples of how much the African American dollar can do for the community. Also how important it is to American history. So continue to invest in businesses, homes, and real estate for the future of the African American legacy.
