Black towns, black futures : the enduring allure of a black place in the American West /

This book focuses largely on the enduring appeal of Oklahoma's Black towns. Originally founded in the violent wake of the Civil War, Black towns represent "a dream of Black self-determination made possible by the invention of a space that is communitarian and democratic." In that space, Black people have built successful economic enterprises, gained political power, and shaped educational and cultural institutions. Drawing on the methodology of cultural anthropology, Slocum (Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) explores and defines "types" of Black town inhabitants and charts demographic changes of these types through recent generations. Incorporating interviews, reflections on participation in local events, personal narratives, and archival research across multiple towns, the work demonstrates that Black towns remain a source of pride in success, innovation, and community. The author tours Black towns, witnesses a Civil War reenactment, attends a parade of low-rider cars, and documents a rodeo and barbecue that drew tens of thousands of participants and visitors. The book addresses such concepts as the "racialization of space" and political-economic problems of racialized gentrification, and the temptation to use infrastructures of mass incarceration as sources of economic development. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels. --Joel Robert Wendland-Liu, Grand Valley State University