justAdude27
86485
1318
51
Sep 3, 2021 3:03 PM
justAdude27
86485
1318
51
Mirmalaide
It's great, I was born in a sundown town. Spent the next 12 years trying to get the hell out of not just the town but the state too.
AlltheSarcasm87
Education is good. The Green Book is a hell of a read...
ProperPlanningPreventsPissPoorPerformance
All the racist shit is correct but the term comes from the idea that any non-white in the town after the sun goes down will get lynched
OrionRed
When my mom moved to Fl in 1986, there were signs that read "Alligators in pond after sundown." That was known code for "blacks leave then."
blacksheep214
Benton. TN had that printed on a sign up until the 90's. They took it down at the states request when the '96 Olympics were in the area
SiameseCandle
Cullman, Alabama. I think the sign came down earlier but the people sure AF haven’t changed.
TheYoungerChrisEvans
The town I grew up in in GA had a racist billboard until a hurricane took it down. Surprised it didn't get put back up.
kutison
There is a lesson in that.
w1n5t0ns
oh thats much worse. i thought it was a place for racist old people to go retire
RiverHawk
It is. Just not fully retired from racism yet.
EvilAbedsBoneSaw
You should check out the show Jordan Peele produced called Lovecraft Country. It's got a great historical depiction of sundown towns.
andrewgrr1
That show is intense but amazing
CraftyGiant
In oregon it used to be illegal to be in the state while black after sunset.
FreeRangeToast
me, who initially thought the term “sundown towns” sounded kinda romantic;
Quesadildos
"don't go there after sundown"
TheCaptionGuy
Lovecraft Country included this in an episode and it was more tense than any of the monsters. Well, just a different type of monster.
omgWhatever
This isn't a history lesson, either. Indiana had signs up declaring sundown towns in to the fucking 90s.
steve1907
James Loewen, who sadly just passed away wrote a great book about the subject. Sundown towns- a hidden dimension of American racism.
anitabieror6
Lebanon Oregon
Chaoscillate
One of these close to me that's all Mormon. No one lives there but Mormons and their families.
ButtersTheCat
I live 15 miles from a town literally named Sundown.
IdUpvoteYouButYoureAt69
I live 15 min away from a restaurant called Sundowners. Idk how to feel about it anymore.
combatwombat0
Sundowners are also people with dementia whose symptoms get worse at night
combatwombat0
Sorry I guess it doesn't make it better
tonchandailvert
I ... I first thought it was cities with lovely sunset views...
MentalFest
Black people cant drive across certain parts of the country. What the hell does that tell you. This country is not okay.
JugsMugsLadybugs
I've heard it described as "better not see the sun go down on your black ass". Fuckin terrifying.
Czeksmyx
Oregon was pretty much a Sundown state...
AndreaAllheart
We really need to start teaching American history correctly, reparations are definitely in order.
burlyqlady
I made a post saying that and got downvoted to hell
pandro
Fixing what happens today, including reparations for what happens today, is important.
RealRaceRiotsAreAboutGettingBlueshelledInMarioKart
Black history 365. Best us history book ever.
coldfirewolf
Accidentally found one of these towns. That was an adventure
FightingRevengeOfYourMom
Minden, NV is fighting to keep its 6:30pm daily siren--historically used to warn the native americans to leave town. The town claims 1/2
FightingRevengeOfYourMom
it is to "honor firefighters" or some such nonsense. This is happening today. 2/2
activeracer28
Trump flat out told crowds he's fighting to keep suburbs safe by preventing blacks from moving in.
BarekofTorunn
I believe it, but I need a source for your claim
ConradPerson
https://www.wsj.com/articles/well-protect-americas-suburbs-11597608133
activeracer28
Thank you. Went on vacay with no internet.
BarekofTorunn
I commend you for the source thank you
InHarmsWay
I've heard the phrase but I've assumed it meant a town that was on the decline. Usually after losing a major source of jobs, eg. a factory.
TeflonTrout
LordBarringtonBunks
First heard about those from watching the first episode of 'Lovecraft Country' (which I need to get back to).
Rusarules
I first knew about it in The Green Book when they're stopped for driving the black passenger after sundown.
CaptainSomebody
Holy fuck, that's a thing?!
NancyReaganSchoolOfGawk
Pretty much most of East Texas.
TK421isAFK
A prime example of this is Palo Alto and East Palo Alto in the SF Bay Area. Many people know of Palo Alto and the money, influence, and 1/2
TK421isAFK
technology that grew out of that city (like Apple), but fewer have heard of East Palo Alto, the murder capital of the country in the 90s.2/2
burlyqlady
Wow
Angel337
First learned about the term "sundown town" in Lovecraft Country
Angel337
Great series BTW
DappurDanMan
Your country’s a fucking dystopia.
StarscreamAndHutch
HOAs
TheAngryMarineBiologist
You're getting downvoted, but yes, HOAs were invented for a very similar purpose. While Sundown towns have the implicit threat of 1/?
TheAngryMarineBiologist
violence (sundown referring to the idea that any black people found in the town after the sun goes down will be killed) HOAs were 2/?
TheAngryMarineBiologist
originally created for the purpose of legally denying African American (and other minority) households the ability to move into 3/?
TheAngryMarineBiologist
predominantly white neighborhoods 4/4
OldMiscreant
even worse, the federal government wouldn't approve FHA loans to black people for houses in predominately white area
DooksandPooks
https://youtu.be/qaPQN0aW47I
Ilikecreativepeople
Black soldiers in WW2 DIDNT GET home loans like white people did
levelor
The majority of the GI Bill payouts for decades were and still are denied all POC.
DisenfranchisedSovietBear
Were? Sure, I will buy that. But Im gonna need some souce for the 'still are' claim.
levelor
Me. That's one. I was denied the GI Bill for school even though others that joined with me got it.I had better grades than all of my buddies
burlyqlady
That's fucking bullshit, I'm sorry this happened to you. The government has to answer for this shit. It's shameful.
CrypticalEnvelopement
Or in predominantly black areas either. But that's not worse, that's literally what being described by the term Sundown town
MacDaddySmitt
A recent episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver explained this whole atrocity in great detail.
burlyqlady
How does John Oliver and his team come up with topics? I thought it would be by current events but that doesn't seem current?
ZackWester
its not current but it piped up again. like sure infrastructure is in sambles for the last 30+ years but a bridge collapsing because it was
ZackWester
not maintained shows up on the news one day... guess what todays week is about Infrastructure.
LumpWithaLeafHat
I highly recommend people read "The Color of Law"
xjsxjs
I was coming down to see the if anyone posted this. I require this book in my urban planning class, but everyone should read.
unclesporky
If it's a sundown town, that almost seems like a money lending risk assessment thing. Not getting your $$ back if the whites burn the house.
paintingagency
It was EVERYWHERE.
wewillwewillbopyou
As said it was everywhere and wasn’t just in established white communities. They wouldn’t insure new housing/ communities if they were mixed
wewillwewillbopyou
This included public housing as well as private ventures
N0tDave
Redlining, wiki yourself that and spend a day going down the rabbit hole of disturbing info.
stoutde
Extra credit has a video on it https://youtu.be/vyiwk3D-3ag
stoutde
The whole series is worth a watch https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhyKYa0YJ_5AlikBYiNGc5yXmuiF8QPc8
OldMiscreant
and realize system racism is a real thing
PrecogFrogOnALog
bUt I'm WhItE aNd My LiFe WaS hArD tOo So SyStEmIc RaCiSm IsN't ReAl!!!!!! REEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CommanderRatBoy
Came here to say this but you best me to it +1
fiercebetty
That's a world I didn't know existed till not too long ago, my father in law is black. He is kind, respectable and an amazing man, but he's
[deleted]
[deleted]
fiercebetty
No, my wife is white, her parents divorced and her mother remarried. So technically he's my step-father-in-law.
theperfectusernamedoesntexist
Eatonville, FL and Ocoee, FL where segregated towns in Florida into the 80s. I grew up in pine hills and only learned this 3 years ago.
mrsdowneyjr
I just learned the tem this month :(
SwedeOnAnIsland
Denied what for example?
Nerdextrordinaire
My sister lives in a sundown town. There still an alarm that goes off. It’s in southern Illinois.
WHEREISMYTROPHY
I recently drive through Cairo Illinois. The history of that town is beyond fucked. Southern Illinois might as well be the deep South
rbudrick
Illinois, Ohio, they fucking border Canada but bith think they are the south. Ok, maybe lakes in the way, but still. Absolute shitholes.
EvilAbedsBoneSaw
I can agree — never encountered racist treatment from anywhere that was worse than OH or IL which sucks because I've got family in both.
siler7
Don't call me "my father in law is black". You don't know me like that.
TK421isAFK
That's a joke only a bot designed to recognize comma placement would get, siler7 bot.
siler7
No, there are actually people who paid attention in elementary school. Hundreds of us, at least.
EvilAbedsBoneSaw
Dozens of us! .gif
TK421isAFK
True, but it appears we are hundreds among millions.
siler7
I've been exceptional in many ways for my entire life. I'm pretty used to it.
SkamanSam
This topic is covered well in Lovecraft Country
ThisIsNotTheUsernameYouWereLookingFor
This is how I discovered them. Thought it was a fictional element they’d added for the tension of the car chase until i looked it up .
SkamanSam
I grew up in NC and SC hearing whispers about them, but it was kinda written out of the history of the south.
colfish
That show was the best example of how horrible it really is. Everything else downplays the experience, LC showed the true horror.
fiercebetty
often denied things that never would have been denied to me (being white). I've also never been pulled over more than when driving with him
WhatBackWaterCountry
Wow. What dystopia do you live in?
valkrez
We are not okay
elusivekarma
We call it the U.S.A.
fiercebetty
and he follows ALL driving laws, to an annoying degree, but he has too, because he gets pulled over for simply being black.
RamsesMCMXCI
I'm curious generally were you live that this happens
ArcaneAlchemist
america. as someone who has lived in pretty nearly every corner of the united states, its the whole US. cops are racist.
EvilAbedsBoneSaw
Not the OP, but uh...
riplikash
It happens friggin EVERYWHERE in the US my dude. Even black cops pull over blacks more than whites.
Wobbixx
As a white guy married to a black woman... Everywhere. And interactions are more charged. I've gotten pulled over and talked to the cop ->
Wobbixx
Gotten them to laugh and joke and deescalate the conversation. Every time my wife has interacted with the cops, they've had hands on their->
fiercebetty
He lives in NY, I live in CA, its happened in both locations, as well as when we visited family in Texas and Michigan.
EvilAbedsBoneSaw
MI never been but NY, check, TX & CA, BIG check.
CoqRoq
My wife is Nicaraguan and fairly dark. She stopped to watch a sunset in Newport Beach years ago. Cops told her to leave town immediately.
DancesWithHedgehogs
Quit using euphemisms. It's a racist town full of racists under a racist government.
TheAngryMarineBiologist
A racist town full of violent racists who will kill you if you're still in town after sundown.
enahshy
Who downvoted this? I think imgur needs to change its policy, so every user who downvotes is visible and has to own their bullshit.
butIlikeitbecauseitisbitterandbecauseitismyheart
1) I did Not downvote it, but I upvoted all of the responses below it. Sundown town is not a euphemism. It is disgustingly racist, but it
butIlikeitbecauseitisbitterandbecauseitismyheart
2) also is a very specific description. A POC could be harmed or murdered if caught in town after dark.
enahshy
I totally get it. I'm familiar with the term I just don't get who would downvote that fact. I think they should have to defend their stance.
enahshy
The post isn't bullshit, the downvoter is.
unkiereamus
It's actually not really a euphemism, it comes from signs which used to be posted saying "All [black people] must leave town by sun down"...
RealRaceRiotsAreAboutGettingBlueshelledInMarioKart
I grew up in one of said towns. All polite to anyone at noon. Sun goes down, noose comes out. Couldn't get out fast enough.
DancesWithHedgehogs
I get you, but it really is a euphemism, which is a pleasant substitution for a less pleasant word, like 'racist.'
unkiereamus
Except it's not, it conveys more information than 'racist' and if you know the context, I'd argue it's actually a much less pleasant word.
DancesWithHedgehogs
Fair enough. I was just uncomfortable with a phrase that is only understandable by people who know what it is. Would rather be more blatant.
unkiereamus
Reasonable, but look at it this way: The fact that it's no longer common knowledge means we are in fact (slowly) doing better as a society.
SrMordred
"Town full of racists" is not informative enough, describes many towns. That it needs a long explanation means we need a shorthand.
AxolotlInATopHat
Quit using them once you know, sure, but never quit defining them.
DancesWithHedgehogs
Agreed. Just call it what it is. If it can be destroyed by the truth, it should be.
mymomsaregay
It’s not. A euphemism is a polite, roundabout way of saying something unpleasant, like “powder my nose” or “passed away”. This is term for a
mymomsaregay
particular type of place, more specific than just “town full of racists”, and it’s not being used to avoid saying something else that is
mymomsaregay
equivalent, or to disguise the fact that racism is involved, it’s being used to give a name to a specific phenomenon that needs a name.
funken77
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/25/realestate/blacks-minorities-appraisals-discrimination.html
funken77
And people wonder why minorities can't "get over it".
Steeltoedmonkey
Nobody wonders that?
burlyqlady
Yes they do
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
This is also why I'm sorta meh on "reverse" racism. If a black person distrusts a white one or thinks they'll have a negative /1
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
interaction.... like, yeah. I get it. When you're being actively discriminated against, it's pretty normal to be wary of the group that's /2
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
doing the discriminating. More than half of white voters supported Trump. There's a real, actual reason for blacks to not like whites. /3
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
Whereas there's no good reason to be racist to black people. It's just to be a dick. That's all. /4