TTTHHHEEE SSSUUUNNNDDDOOOWWWNNN TTTOOOWWWNNN NNNEEEWWWSSS A PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO THE ABOLITION OF ITS SUBJECT MATTER ISSUE NO. 3

TO DO GIS RAPID RACIAL AND CULTURAL CHANGE

MAPPING OF IN TWO FORMER SUNDOWN TOWNS SUNDOWN TOWNS Faranak Miraftab

More than Beardstown, , and family, and a black girl thirty years nearby Rushville have gone adopted by a local white ago, the U.S. through an extraordinary family. The presence of Census social transformation in their Mexicans in the area, as became recent histories. Through locals recall, was limited to aware of GIS perceived or real threat of one woman married to a — violence, both towns kept white local and one large Geographical themselves almost all-white twelve-member family Information during most of the 20th related to her. The devout Systems — and started to tag century. Elders recall only a Catholic, had escaped census data with geographic few non-whites who lived in religious persecution and information. (For that matter, the area. They recall each settled his family in earlier census data come with town having a black male Beardstown in 1920. Strong geographic information — cook who worked and lived believers in cultural and street address, town, etc.) at the local hotel but were linguistic assimilation, they Today social scientists, noted seldom to have left the never spoke Spanish at home. marketers, and historians can premises. They also recall Even their mother, an use this information to map two non-white children introvert homemaker of variables spatially. One of growing up in Beardstown: a darker complexion who the easiest variables to map is biracial boy whose black seldom wandered out of the residence by race. father did not live with the house, struggled but kept Mapping Summary of Population Census Data for Beardstown, Cass and Rushville, Schuyler residence by race County, Illinois, 1890-2000 is a great way to do PLACE RACE 1890 1920 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 research. To be TOTAL 5,226 7,111 6,080 6,294 6,222 6,338 5,270 5,766 WHITE 5,226 7,111 6,079 6,290 6,210 6,312 5,221** 4,650** sure, when BLACK 1 1 1 1 1 28 studying a specific HISPANIC 50 31 1,032 town, one does not need map data. Beardstown TOTAL 15,963 17,896 15,097 14,539 14,219 15,084 13,437 13,695 The census table WHITE 15,962 17,896 15,090 14,528 14,197 15,026 13,334** 12,346** for the town that BLACK 1* 3 2 5 12 16 39 gives household HISPANIC 78 56 1,162

Cass County information by race will do. TOTAL 2,682 2,819 3,300 3,348 3,229 3,212 WHITE 2,680 2,819 3,298 3,343 3,216** 3,181** Then, having BLACK 1 2 2 learned that a HISPANIC 16 2 15 given town was all Rushville white or almost all TOTAL 16,013 13,285 9,613 8,746 8,135 8,365 7,498 7,189 WHITE 16,003 13,285 9,607 8,739 8,118 8,346 7,474** 7,090** white for decades, BLACK 10* 1 2 16 cont. on page 7 HISPANIC 27 7 39 1 Schuyler County * = "colored," including Chinese, Japanese, and 'civilized Indians' as well as . ** = Non-Hispanic whites; before 1990 most Hispanics were included under W.

”Rapid” cont. from page 1 packing plant there. It was The meat industry has acted English as their home the latter industry and its as racial diversification agent language. heavy reliance on immigrant for many small towns in the labor that changed the racial Midwest. Because its Oral histories recorded in composition of these two workers have the highest rate the 1960s and 1970s indicate sundown towns. of injury and illness of all sundown signs were posted in Since 1990 the local manufacturing jobs, coupled the area that implied African demographic shift, with lower than average Americans could not spend particularly in Beardstown, wages, it is not surprising that the night or reside in the has been astonishing, both in meat packing relies on community. For example, a its extent (3500% from 1990 immigrant and minority black man who had lived in a to 2000) and in the diversity workers.3 The meat packing neighboring town recalled a of the new population. industry’s restructuring and sign warning, "Read and run, Today more than 30% of its reliance on rural Mr. Nigger”; he could not get Beardstown’s estimated industrialization strategies a hotel room for the evenings 7,000 people are immigrants have brought minority when he worked in of diverse racial and cultural populations to rural Beardstown during the late 1 origins. Nearly 10% of destination in great numbers. 1920’s and 1930’s. Rushville’s 3,000 are non- In Beardstown and A white male resident of whites, mainly French Rushville, however, this Beardstown recalled a sign speaking West Africans. In ethnic and racial that said, “Don’t let the sun Beardstown the new diversification is taking place set on you in this man’s 2 population includes two in former sundown towns. town.” The Census data for dominant linguistic groups. The sudden surge of a very 1890 to 2000 summarized in Spanish speaking diverse population into the Table 1, confirms the immigrants, predominantly extreme homogeneity as overwhelming absence of from Mexico but also Central found in sundown towns populations other than whites America and more recently produces complex social and – in particular the absence of Dominican Republic, Puerto spatial interactions that call blacks in the two towns Rico, and Cuba, number for closer examination. through the 1980s. about 2,500. This population Although established Rivals in school sports, started to arrive in the early residents have not moved Beardstown and Rushville 1990s. The other linguistic from the homes where have intertwined pasts and immigrant group in the area generations of their ancestors presents in respect to their started arriving in 2003: lived, they feel they have, economy and their changing French speaking West because the neighborhood social and racial composition. African predominantly from and community around them In the economically stressful Togo but also from Burkina has changed so dramatically. decade of the 1980s, both Faso, Senegal, Guinea, As one local said, “It is communities struggled to Benin, and Congo. They first amazing how, when people create employment settled in Rushville but have here were afraid to go to the opportunities for their local increasingly moved to world, the world came to residents. Rushville pursued Beardstown to be closer to them” (interview, 2009). the prison-industrial complex work. Overall, about 350 This essay offers insight to choose their community West Africans live in the two into how long-time residents for building a high security towns. see their sundown towns’ prison for sex offenders. In some ways the history of racial prejudice and Beardstown wooed the multi- demographic change in this exclusion; and how their national Cargill with rural heartland that houses a historically constituted lucrative tax benefits to slaughtering and meat perspective influences their locate its hog slaughter and packing plant is not unique. outlook and the kind of 2

responses they make to the were recruited for work at the African immigrants to the newcomers. The stories I local Beardstown plant only area and their linguistic have collected in the field in the early 2000s. Not differentiation (speaking bring to light old residents’ knowing of the recent or the French), also played different interpretations of older incidents of racist important roles in the the sundown town history of hatred in the area, they did tolerance West Africans Beardstown and Rushville. not feel inhibited from received in the two towns. That new population makeup pursuing accommodation in While negative stereotypes not only estranges the older either of the two towns. about African Americans residents, but also seduces Cargill’s Human Resources persist in locals’ narratives, them, with its new cultures, Office, however, West Africans are languages, foods, public remembering the earlier differentiated as the “better celebrations, and activities. violent incidents in blacks.” Local whites makes In recent years, both Beardstown, tried to avoid statements such as, “They are communities experienced the risk of upsetting the local black but they are nice,” or transformation in their racial dynamics again by gently “They are black but they are composition owing to steering the new West very educated, they speak Cargill’s immigrant labor African recruits to Rushville. French.” recruitment. While Dividing workers Against this sketchy Beardstown has received a geographically was also backdrop I will now turn to diverse Latino and African compatible with the much five vignettes. In each, long immigrant population; documented corporate term residents of Beardstown Rushville has received interest in labor force and Rushville remember mainly French speaking West segmentation. encounters with the “other” Africans, who mainly express Aware of the violent in formerly all-white town. their positive reception by the incidents of the late 1990s, Each story exemplifies a kind local Rushville community. and concerned with the fate of reaction to the towns’ Insight into some recent that might await these black sundown pasts. I will close tensions might help to newcomers, a group of the paper by highlighting the explain this. Rushville residents, mostly complexity in emergent local In 1996, Beardstown organized through local responses to rapid racial experienced a social churches, actively organized demographic shift in former explosion when a Mexican a warm welcome to the West sundown towns. shot a local white and ran Africans. For example, one That’s just the way it was away. In the aftermath, West African interviewee (62 years old white male, Anglos set a Mexican tavern recalls his frustration during interviewed in 2008): on fire and burned a six-foot- the first week of residence in There were no blacks in tall cross in the main plaza. Rushville: coming back from town; they could not stay in Some Mexicans thought of a morning shift at the plant, town. Everyone knew that. moving to other nearby towns his sleep was frequently Even someone like the great like Rushville. But when the interrupted by local residents world champion Jessie first Mexican family tried to knocking at his mobile home Owens had to leave town at buy a house in Rushville in door to welcome and offer night. I remember it was in the late 1990s, their house, him baked cookies and 1960 or so, when Jessie still undergoing closing goods! A small but active Owens was brought in to talk procedures, was burnt down. group of locals played an at the town’s high school This violent incident important role in making athletic banquet. It was a succeeded in deterring easier the entrance of the huge deal but I recall after the Mexicans from moving to black newcomers to this event he had to go to Rushville. former sundown town. The Jacksonville to spend the West African immigrants high education4 of the 3

night there. That’s just the was there; not one seat was probably eleven o’clock, ten way it was. left empty. It was mostly for o’clock at least. And here he curiosity to see black people. was, stranded out there, and I Violence (65 years old male, There were no blacks living said, “You know, nobody’s interview 2008): here. We did not have blacks going to bother you.” “Yes, I remember [in about in Beardstown. The only but what am I gonna do, what 1960] when a family [in blacks who came to town am I gonna do?” And I said, Browning] that likes to fight were the ones that were “Well, I close up in about brought in a bunch of athletic figures. What I twenty minutes, and I’ll take Negroes to paint barns. And remember most vividly is the you to Macomb.” And he the Negroes stayed in town in party after the game. One of couldn’t believe that…I a hotel over here. And they the high school teachers mean, he just expected I think hung around the bars, they’d invited all players and cheer that I was gonna take a tire get off work and they’d go to leaders on both sides to his iron, hit him on the head and the bars. And they’d get house for a party before they throw him in the…I mean, he fairly loud and they could be left town on their bus. I was was just terrified. So I took obnoxious. And the Hams not a player but I went along. him to Macomb, took him to [people from Browning] told I recall how curious I was to the church, and everybody them they should be moving see them close by. They put was out in the front, and I along, and that this wasn’t a the music on and people was just gonna let him out, good place for them. . . . started dancing. The most and he said, “Oh, well you [This] erupted into a great big amazing experience for me wait a minute, we’re gonna battle. . . . the police tried to was dancing with a black girl. pay you.” And I said, “I keep them apart. . . . They I am not proud of how I used don’t want any pay.” But chased the black guys all the to think back then. I was not they took up a little collection way across the park and into better than others. A lot of to give me money for the gas. the hotel. And the cop got our prejudice was for not But I think the little towns inside the door and wouldn’t knowing any better. around are always let [anyone] . . . in. And the misrepresented as being black boys went upstairs, Understanding others’ fear racist because I think mainly crawled out on the porch, (65 years old male, interview there just was … [pause] you jumped off in the alley, and 2008): had to go to a bigger town. got in their trucks and rode One night [in the 1940s] I away. And I don’t know was working at the gas Denial (65 years old male, where they went, but they station in Rushville. It was interview 2008): didn’t come back. about time to close and an old We were a river town. black preacher had got off a There was always black Curiosity (56 years old male, bus and wandered down the people associated with the interview 2009): street, looking around. The barges going up and down It was perhaps 1968 that bus went off and left him. the river. So, some of them the Beardstown high school And the town was pretty would get tired of working, basketball team had a game much closed up, no stores probably, and drop off and against East St. Louis high open, nothing. And he was stay here. They would stay school. The East St Louis going to Macomb to a in the local hotel [Park Hotel, team was an all-black team. I revival, and Macomb’s thirty which no longer is in mean all players, cheer girls, miles away. So he came existence]. It was a beautiful cheer leaders, they were all down to the filling station, hotel, but finally just one black – coming to and I don’t know what he night, the whole side of it fell Beardstown, an all-white expected, the poor old man right out in the street. Park town! I vividly remember was just terrified, he was Hotel used to have a black that day. The gym was really scared. It was cook who stayed at the hotel. packed full. The whole town 4

. . . They always said, well, Appreciation (90 years old child taken to watch that! So you know, that they didn’t female, interview 2008): . . . I think I’m living in a allow blacks in town. . . . I feel like I’m living in a different world and I really [But in reality] there was no different world. I do, feel that way because things opportunity for them. There because I have people from are changing so fast. But was nothing there for them to Africa living in that house there are other people who do. . . . Even if they would across the alley and I had don’t want to live in a have come in and got a job, Mexicans living next door different world. . . . I also there was no entertainment and another family living in should tell you, now that my for them. The type of the other house. They are granddaughter has a black entertainment that they liked nice people, very nice people, boyfriend . . . I get a funny didn’t exist. . . . Rushville very helpful. . . . [I feel the feeling, some kind of a also had a black cook [at its change because] I turn connection with the black Hotel] who slept at the hotel around, I see at one time, no people. I mean maybe [in Rushville]. But, you darkies, like black people, because I feel for them, you know, he never wandered dare come to Beardstown. know I think it’s so cruel to around town. There was They just weren’t wanted treat people different because really nobody there for him here, but now you see them of their skin color and mother to associate with. . . . Today, in church, you got a lot of used say their blood is as red there’s quite a few [blacks] them coming into our church, as yours. . . There’s no out there working at the Catholic Church, and they, difference; she would tell us plant, but they live in they’re dressed in their native that, you know. It’s weird I Jacksonville or they live in clothes, some of them are think, it’s kinda of scary. Macomb. You know their beautiful, just lovely to look Perhaps it is blood, because culture, no matter what you at. I’m like, “Oh my gosh, she is with him so I feel say, is different than ours. how do they, how do they different. It’s a feeling I Hispanic culture is different, dress so beautiful!” . . . They can’t explain. everybody’s culture is see you doing something and ********** different. You have your they say “can I help you?” own culture. But there is no They are very nice. . . . The narratives above culture here that the black [But] you know I just grew reveal the range of can …[pause], he can come up here, you never saw dark interpretations offered on in and if he goes to a bar, skinned people, never, and their community’s racial nobody’s going to throw him now it looks different, very history by the residents who out, but there’s no other different. In fact, I’ve have lived through blacks in there. It’s learned a lot, it’s wonderful Beardstown’s and Rushville’s uncomfortable for him. to see other cultures, how pasts. The range is broad. Unless a white friend would they do things; see we were Some deny their deliberate take him in. But he can go to never around anything that racially prejudiced local Jacksonville or he can go to was different. . . . Blacks practices: “There was just Macomb, and that’s what couldn’t stay here overnight. . nothing for blacks to do they’re doing. They’re . . . When I was little you here.” Others would driving here from didn’t see any black people. normalize it by seeing it as an Jacksonville. . . . so I think We knew that blacks could unquestionable matter of fact: it was more a lack of not come here and if they did “That is just the way things opportunity for them than it they disappeared. We heard were.” But these stories also was being just racist and all this. A friend of mine saw tell of other sentiments. We saying, “You can’t come in as a child a black being hung see curiosity for example, in here.” in a neighboring town. Her watching the black basketball father took her to watch. Can players and dancing with a you believe this! A little black cheerleader. We see 5

understanding of the may contribute to its current and the “good old days” “others’” fear that motivates spatial integration of back. Others, like the mayor a man like the gas station immigrants with established of Rushville, react quite attendant to reach out. residents. 5 Thus to assume differently. In a public Today in the encounters that the established residents’ meeting, he thanked the West between established residents attitude in this process is only African immigrants for of Beardstown and Rushville one of angst for change and choosing Rushville as their with the incoming immigrant resentment of the newcomers new home and said “You population we can see is too simplistic. The past have given the single most reactions ranging from hatred plays a complex role in important opportunity to this and violence to curiosity and affecting how established community — one that I did accommodation. How local residents negotiate the not have when growing up. white residents and the process of rapid racial and … I have seen what racial Hispanic and West African cultural change in their divisions do to communities. immigrants negotiate the former sundown towns. For This is a wonderful process of change is some this racial history fuels opportunity you have given influenced by many forces hostility against the this community!” and factors, not all explored immigrant newcomers. For Faranak Miraftab isAssociate in this short contribution. others – who want a more Professor of Urban and Regional The nature of the meat tolerant community – it Planning, University of Illinois, packing industry, the gender, motivates a greater Urbana Champaign household composition, accommodation of the [email protected] language, education and immigrant newcomers. The social status of the memory of racist practices newcomers prior to and attitudes can indeed migration; and the inter-racial result in a greater Rapid Racial and dynamics among the appreciation of change and Cultural Change in Two immigrant populations are prompt a small but active and Former Sundown Towns not explored here. Rather, vocal group of residents to Endnotes: this essay has aimed to act as social brokers of this 1 Oral history, 1975, transcribed highlight the importance of transition process and by state university staff. local racial history. facilitate peaceful openings 2 That history influences the in their community. The Oral history, 1972, transcribed established residents’ violence by which sundown by state university staff. encounters with the new towns were produced does 3 The rate of injuries or illness immigrant population in not allow many of the old for meat packing industry is 20 complex and even surprising residents to stay on the fence vs. 8.1 per 100 full time workers ways. Ironically, the or “indifferent” to the for all U.S. manufacturing jobs sundown town history of processes of change. They (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Beardstown and Rushville know too well what the 2001). In 2005, meat packing may lead to a greater spatial alternative might look like. wages averaged $11.47, 30% lower than the average for all integration of new In short, established U.S. manufacturing jobs $16.77 immigrants of color in residents of former sundown an hour (U.S. Bureau of Labor rapidly multi-culturalizing towns like Beardstown and Statistics, 2006). Workers at small towns. Since spatial Rushville, think about the meat packing industries are 42% exclusion of the “other” was racial exclusivity of their not- Hispanic, 20% African implemented at the scale of so-long-ago-past with American, and 32% white (US the entire town, not within it, nostalgia and fear. Some, Government Accountability the absence of pre-existing like the mayor of Office report, 2005). racially and ethnically Beardstown, would openly 4 A 2007-08 survey conducted segregated neighborhoods wish the immigrants away among West Africans in 6

Rushville and Beardstown Mapping is crucial when CT: SW corner (NYC indicated that 54% of studying whether larger areas suburbs) respondents (32 of 59) had were sundown. We still need FL: Atlantic and Gulf coasts college educations or more. a good GIS map of the (beach communities) This is reflected in interviews I Ozarks, for example, using GA: Appalachia (large V- have conducted with West Africans currently employed at 1990 data (easily available in shape from Forsyth County Cargill’s local plant who include GIS form). Even better NW and NE to the corners of a judge, sociology professor, vet would be such a map using the state) doctor, mechanical engineer, earlier data, which may be IL: Chicago suburbs accountant, and lawyer. available in GIS form. Then IL: Illinois River from at 5 With Eileen Diaz McConnell, I on-site researchers can least LaSalle/Peru to its explore this theme in “Sundown investigate whether the mouth Town to ‘Mexican Town’: boundaries that appear IL: western part of state, Newcomers, Old Timers, and between areas where African from St. Louis north to the Housing in Small Town Americans lived and areas Quad Cities — under- America,” Rural Sociology where they did not were lines researched until now (forthcoming) and of prohibition. IL: Southern Illinois, from “Multiculturalizing Rural Below is a list of some Route 40 (I70) to Cairo — Towns: Insights for Inclusive places that would particularly very researched but needs Planning.” International benefit from GIS mapping. If good map Planning Studies 13 #4 (2008), any reader knows how to use IN: entire state 343-60. this technology and would IA: entire state ______like to make one or more of KS: entire state “GIS” cont. from page 1 these maps, or would be KY: Cumberland Plateau willing to mentor a student MD: Baltimore suburbs the researcher goes to the interested in doing so, please (c.1960) town to interview older email Jim Loewen MA: Boston suburbs residents, look up newspaper immediately at (c.1960) stories, etc., to ascertain if the [email protected]. MI: Thumb community had a formal or MI: Upper Peninsula informal policy of keeping Some Areas Needing GIS MI: Detroit suburbs (c.1960 out African Americans. Mapping of Residence by vs. 2000 would be very But mapping can be useful Race interesting) even when studying just one MO: (alphabetically Boot Heel by state) community. What if African AL: Sand Hill and environs MO (and AR and eastern Americans live at the edge (large V-shape from OK): Ozarks of town, for example, just Birmingham NW and NE to MO: the Iowa line the city limits? In itself, that the corners of the state) MO: St. Louis suburbs suggests (but does not prove) AR (and MO and eastern NJ: suburbs of NYC and a policy to keep them out. OK): the Ozarks Newark When studying larger cities, AR (and MO) northeastern NY: Long Island mapping can immediately AR: just below the Boot NY: Westchester County show all-white Heel of MO NC: Appalachia (far western neighborhoods, even as large CA: Bay Area counties) as, say, La Jolla, California, CA: Los Angeles OH: entire state which is not legally a city but metropolitan area south OH: Cleveland suburbs part of San Diego and for through Orange County to OH: Cincinnati suburbs decades kept out not only San Diego OK: Panhandle African Americans but also CA: entire state, for Chinese OR: entire state Jews. Americans, c.1870-1910 PA: anthracite river valleys 7

PA: Philadelphia suburbs EXPULSIONS, RIOTS, AND include the number of people TN: Cumberland Plateau REMEMBERED: killed, the scope of media TX: Panhandle A DISSERTATION ON THE attention at the time, and TX: large area in North COMMEMORATION OF more. Of course, while some Texas from Killeen through RACIAL VIOLENCE of the factors shaping Waxahachie to OK commemoration are likely (excluding Waco, Dallas, and I write to let this “structural,” groups or Fort Worth) and west to newsletter’s readers know of individuals may launch Throckmorton and a project that may be of commemorative efforts in a Fredericksburg interest, as well as to invite wide array of contexts, so the VA: Appalachia (far western readers to contact me to final part of the project counties) contribute to the project. My focuses on individual WA: entire state dissertation research commemorative actors, using WI: eastern Wisconsin (Sociology, UNC-Chapel interviews to get at the (Milwaukee north to the Door Hill) asks why it is that some motivations and strategies of Peninsula and west to incidents of mass racial those involved in these Shawano and Wausau and violence in the U.S. have in projects from a micro-level back down to the IL line. the last few decades become perspective. Please note: by saying objects of commemoration or If you believe I might gain "entire state" I do not imply redress efforts, while many something from speaking that the entire state kept out other incidents that seem with you, please contact me African Americans. If that quite similar have not. I at [email protected] or (919) were true, there would be no consider incidents that took 265-7030. The incidents reason to map it! Rather, place between 1877 and 1954 between 1877 and 1954 with mapping may reveal in which one or more African at least one death that I am interesting patterns, implying Americans were killed by aware of at least some recent that certain counties, river whites (including expulsions, commemorative effort around valleys, etc., were closed to lynchings, and “race riots”). are: Rosewood, Tulsa, African Americans, while I have identified about 25 Wilmington, , other areas — perhaps cases of recent Moore’s Ford GA, differing religiously or on a commemorative resurgence, Springfield IL, Duluth MN, different railroad line — and further drawn a random Forsyth County GA, Newnan allowed black residents. sample of 50 of the 3,000 or GA, Waco TX, Pierce City In addition to the above so other incidents that made MO, Watkinsville GA, suggestions, several other the national papers when they Annapolis, Springfield MO, entire states could usefully be occurred, in order to compare Abbeville SC, Live Oak FL, mapped, from to West commemorated and non- Chattanooga, East St Louis Virginia, especially if done commemorated cases. For IL, Valdosta GA, Elaine AR, using data before 1990. So each case, I have collected Omaha, Ocoee FL, Price UT, could almost any data on a wide array of Harrison AR, and Butler GA. metropolitan area. Whatever factors that may impact the I would love to speak with interests you! rise of commemorative you if you have participated projects. Present-day factors in or are knowledgeable I am examining include a about one of these projects, NEXT ISSUE: A review of the city’s population size, racial or know of others I should important new book, The makeup, economic profile, consider. Thanks for your Integration Debate: Competing geographic location, and attention! Futures for American Cities, level of prior civil rights- edited by Chester Hartman and related activism, while -Raj Ghoshal Gregory Squires." incident features of interest 8