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Interesting, I wouldn't have thought that. Anecdotal...but most folks I know in VA with relatives up north seem to be mostly in NY, NJ, or Philly.
If you think about it l...where else would they really be coming from? There are a few Black people in whos families have been in Boston for a looooong time but it’s rare.
Black firsts started coming to CT in the 1940/ms from VA because there are/were tobacco fields in the CT River Valley. Juuuust outside of Hartford and just south of Springfield MA. In fact l, you can see some small tobacco plants along I-91 into Springfield. To this day Connecticut (Shade) Leaf is seen on many dutchmaster cigarillos (happy belated 4/20). Blacks moved to Hartford to pick under less harsh conditions and in less volume than in VA. So blacks had migration directly to Hartford and also spillover from NYC into Bridgeport Stanford and New Haven.. . I’m not sure NYC blacks ever stopped entering CT if anything it really didn’t slow down until maybe the 2000s
In Boston, blacks had been around in small numbers for centuries but in the 1930s-1950s a few arrived from the south basically as scab labor for Textile Mills in Boston , Cambridge, Brockton, and Providence. The mills were moving to the south (particularly North Carolina) and they weren’t too keen on hiring blacks folks down there as a result they tried to move up North but were seen as scabs and faced resent meant from striking white immigrants.
Prior to 1950 Blacks in Boston were known as a small subset looked at favorably when compared to the Irish because they were Anglo and Protestant, churchgoing, small and inoffensive, and worked as artisans, servants and craftsmen. Most of their existence was dependent upon proximity and relationships with the Boston gentry and Brahmins. Many were from small formerly English Carribean Islands like Grenada St, Kitts, Barbados etc. They were far removed from the southern uneducated agrarian stereotype. As the black population and Irish power grew in the 50s this began to change.
Boston got the bulk of its black people in the 50s and 60s. Going from ~43k blacks in the city in 1950s to 105k in 1970. Probably because the city was safer cleaner and less crowded than NYC and had a good racial reputation and was a progressive stronghold. The city built segregated housing projects for blacks-at one point, enough to house almost all blacks in the city. It gained only 35k blacks in between 1970 and 2000 after 1970 blacks began to concentrate more heavily in Roxbury Dorchester in Mattapan prior to this they had been more scattered and integrated with the white community. Back Bay an South Boston had greater black population in 1970 than 1980 because busing riots had scared black people who lived away from the the heart of Black Boston we congregated for safety in numbers.
After 1980 almost all black population growth in Boston was from West Indians. Blacks located in the north end in the 1600s, then beacon hill, then the south end, then Roxbury and we’ve just moved south away from downtown consistently over the past 400 years. The blackest neighborhoods are now on the southern edge of the city.
If you think about it l...where else would they really be coming from? There are a few Black people in whos families have been in Boston for a looooong time but it’s rare.
Black firsts started coming to CT in the 1940/ms from VA because there are/were tobacco fields in the CT River Valley. Juuuust outside of Hartford and just south of Springfield MA. In fact l, you can see some small tobacco plants along I-91 into Springfield. To this day Connecticut (Shade) Leaf is seen on many dutchmaster cigarillos (happy belated 4/20). Blacks moved to Hartford to pick under less harsh conditions and in less volume than in VA. So blacks had migration directly to Hartford and also spillover from NYC into Bridgeport Stanford and New Haven.. . I’m not sure NYC blacks ever stopped entering CT if anything it really didn’t slow down until maybe the 2000s
In Boston, blacks had been around in small numbers for centuries but in the 1930s-1950s a few arrived from the south basically as scab labor for Textile Mills in Boston , Cambridge, Brockton, and Providence. The mills were moving to the south (particularly North Carolina) and they weren’t too keen on hiring blacks folks down there as a result they tried to move up North but were seen as scabs and faced resent meant from striking white immigrants.
Prior to 1950 Blacks in Boston were known as a small subset looked at favorably when compared to the Irish because they were Anglo and Protestant, churchgoing, small and inoffensive, and worked as artisans, servants and craftsmen. Most of their existence was dependent upon proximity and relationships with the Boston gentry and Brahmins. Many were from small formerly English Carribean Islands like Grenada St, Kitts, Barbados etc. They were far removed from the southern uneducated agrarian stereotype. As the black population and Irish power grew in the 50s this began to change.
Boston got the bulk of its black people in the 50s and 60s. Going from ~43k blacks in the city in 1950s to 105k in 1970. Probably because the city was safer cleaner and less crowded than NYC and had a good racial reputation and was a progressive stronghold. The city built segregated housing projects for blacks-at one point, enough to house almost all blacks in the city. It gained only 35k blacks in between 1970 and 2000 after 1970 blacks began to concentrate more heavily in Roxbury Dorchester in Mattapan prior to this they had been more scattered and integrated with the white community. Back Bay an South Boston had greater black population in 1970 than 1980 because busing riots had scared black people who lived away from the the heart of Black Boston we congregated for safety in numbers.
After 1980 almost all black population growth in Boston was from West Indians. Blacks located in the north end in the 1600s, then beacon hill, then the south end, then Roxbury and we’ve just moved south away from downtown consistently over the past 400 years. The blackest neighborhoods are now on the southern edge of the city.
No FL? That is a pretty big one all over NY State. Some AL too. Quite few people in the Syracuse area have roots in the Auburn-Opelika and Phenix City areas(into SW GA). I know in the Corning area, the Black population there have ties to the Troy AL area through this church: https://www.friendshipbaptistcorning.org/who-we-are
My dads had a two friends-brothers. From Plantation, Florida they’ve been in Boston since at least 1977. One actually has operated a mechanic shop in Roxbury since 77 and live in southern New Hampshire since 1989. Mostly it’s 2nd generation West Indian youth with family in Florida. That is VERY VERY common, but ADOS? No. I’ve seen moving companies that specialize in Boston-NYC-FL in black neighborhoods in Boston.
Basic Black and the Bay Tatar Banner are just more examples of the expansion of black culture in Bsoton both the TV show and a newspaper were founded in 1968.
But yeaa this video is dope if were looking at now compared to 1990. The 90s were definitely when Boston was it’s most Black ADOS culturally, there were many immigrants but nothing like today.. That has changed rapidly particularly after 2005 is that seems to be around the time Black immigrants and Central Americans really exploded up there from what I remember being there.
My dads had a two friends-brothers. From Plantation, Florida they’ve been in Boston since at least 1977. One actually has operated a mechanic shop in Roxbury since 77 and live in southern New Hampshire since 1989. Mostly it’s 2nd generation West Indian youth with family in Florida. That is VERY VERY common, but ADOS? No. I’ve seen moving companies that specialize in Boston-NYC-FL in black neighborhoods in Boston.
Interesting, as in NY we got a lot of FL migration due to migrant farmers leaving places like Belle Glade, Pahokee and places in Central FL like Sanford, Kissimmee, Ocala, etc. Then they would go to places like say Elizabeth City NC or others along the way before they got to migrant farm camps in NJ, on Long Island(mainly the Hamptons or the North Fork and Upstate(some of the small towns/cities in between the bigger cities). Some from the other states along the way came as well. This is a form of migration that doesn't get talked about much, but quite a few came North this way, then once they got established, they worked in manufacturing or started businesses in the bigger cities/areas.
If people are interested and have time, this is a very good video that illustrates this form of migration that was made in 1960: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0BMWltIclg
While some from the Caribbean were migrant farmers(mainly Jamaicans around Plattsburgh/the Adirondacks, etc.), many were/are African American too.
Some Mississippi in both parts of CA too. In fact, on that side of the family, some were in Santa Monica in the 1940’s. Same goes for western Tennessee.
Something else to consider with out West is that a lot of Black people are out there by way of the military and in turn, there tend to be more Black males than females out West. Cities/areas like San Diego, Seattle, Denver, etc. tend to follow this pattern or there is more of an even balance.
I know. I have 1 younger cousin that's in L.A that I'm aware of and an uncle that used to live in Sacramento back in the day. He moved to St Louis (ironically) and still there now. Most of the Black Sippians over in the West will be in Cali. For Sipp Blacks branches will always follow this order from largest ties to small: Midwest / West / Northeast .
I forgot the thread as it was years ago on here. But someone linked a book that showed that SoCal blacks came from Texas and NorCal was Louisiana. I think Arkansas has a large presence in California as well. My great grandmother and several other people of my family, originally from Arkansas, moved to Oakland.
If iirc by numbers for Cali Blacks roots : TX / LA / AR / OK.
Another thing, I know much is made of Black People in the Northeast not necessarily knowing much about the West Coast and Black Life there - Being here in the DMV, I know a lot of Black people from NY, NJ, PA, MD, etc. who have never been to California. However, when I lived in SoCal, I found the inverse to be true because a lot of Black people there don't know much about the East Coast because its so far away, and that includes Atlanta. When I told a lot of Black Angelenos that I moved there from Atlanta, a lot of them weren't as fascinated with its reputation for black people as you'd think. They've heard of it, but they seemed to regard it with indifference and mild curiosity many times, or at most, talked about it being cheaper at best. But a lot of them disregarded it as being too country and ratchet (and LA has its ratchet side, so that was funny to me). Also, I had to shoot down a lot of misconceptions they had, or downright inaccurate and ignorant statements things. One of my cousins has in-laws in Lawrenceville and she kept prattling on about how Lenox Square wasn't as nice as Beverly Hills, how Lawrenceville was the middle of nowhere and how everyone had big houses "because Atlanta wasn't as entertaining as LA and they have to amuse themselves somehow" and all kinds of crazy statements like that. Another relative still thought that Black people were not allowed to shop in Buckhead on certain days. Lord, have mercy. A few friends I made in Los Angeles asked me some crazy questions about Atlanta too. My patience would be worn thin at times, trust and believe, but I was trying my best to be a positive ambassador for ATL when I was out in LA.
I think Atlanta is too far East for a lot of Californians to have a true frame of reference, and besides people in the entertainment industry, a lot of Black Californians typically don't go further east than Texas if they relocate out of the state. Obviously, there are exceptions to this, but for the most part, there were some very interesting conversations when I was living out West.
Imagine the amount of misconceptions & stereotypes to shoot down being from Mississippi. Being a positive & well balanced ambassador for my state takes x4 the patience & humility to bring down to earth convos. I think the Sipp could be one of the best states for Black retirees when given thorough insight.
Yep, they're from the McComb area, in Southwest Mississippi. My Dad went to college with Brandy's father (and remembered him performing in a prominent band) and attended the wedding of one of his daughters (that he had before he married Sonya Norwood) because she married a coworker of his in Jackson. Small World.
Also, the Norwoods lived for a time in Carson not too far from where some of my relatives live. A lot of middle-class blacks moved to Carson in the 1970s and 1980s, especially near Cal State Dominguez Hills. My relatives there broke it down to me that if you didn't have the money to move to Ladera Heights/Baldwin Hills/Windsor Hills or didn't want to move to Inglewood, but had enough money to not live in Compton, Carson was where Black folks went. It's right down the street from Compton (a lot of middle class blacks in Los Angeles left Watts for Compton back in the day when they moved on up, and many of them moved from Compton to Carson when it had crime issues in the 1970s), and adjacent to the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach along with the defense contracting jobs that were all over the South Bay back in the day, so it was (and still is) a convenient location.
I forgot to add some insightful info on migration patterns. Using the Sipp for example:
During the route to Chicago, a plurality from Northwest portion of the state ( mainly delta) , the Northeast (my region) , Central ( Jackson/Meridian) , South ( Hattiesburg) & then Coast is last. Follow the train route from Chicago to Sipp in the 1st wave and it'll display.
St.Louis/East STL route:
Northeast ( a key figure in East STL community is from my hometown of Columbus) , Northwest , Central, & few from the rest.
Cali route: South ( Natchez/Vicksburg/Hattiesburg) , Coast (Gulfport/Biloxi/Pascagoula) , Central , Northeast , then Northwest.
The sub regions of southern states will have more ties to specific cities/regions than others based on 1st & 2nd wave patterns. Also Interstates played a role as well with i-20 & i-10 being the Cali connect. I-55 for the Chi & STL.
Can't find the article but thought I read recently Minneapolis, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee absorb a lot of Chicago's outflow of black folks in addition to places like Atl and Dallas. Surprised me as well.
THIS. Chicago to Phoenix a common way for black people to get their first taste of the "West" in a sense. It's been a connection since the late 90s. A lot of midwest transplants from cities like Milwaukee and Detroit mixed with Ex-Californians mostly moving to AZ.
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