Rare Footage Shows All-Black Towns in 1920s America | NowThis

preview_player
Показать описание
This rare footage shows what life was like in all-Black towns during the 1920s.

In US news and current events today, this rare footage shows life in all-Black communities in the 1920s during an era of fierce racial tension.

Reverend Solomon Sir Jones was the son of former slaves. He moved to Oklahoma in 1889 and became an influential Baptist minister. Jones was also an amateur filmmaker in the early days of moviemaking

Over the course of 4 years, he filmed 355 minutes of footage in more than 50 all-Black communities across Oklahoma. He also documenting his trips to other states and abroad. Jones films capture vibrant Black communities thriving at a time when racist violence & segregation were prevalent in many areas nationwide.

Oklahoma came to have the greatest number of all-Black communities in the 60+ years following the Civil War. In these towns, Black Americans started their own businesses, many Black doctors, lawyers, & families thrived.

Some white Oklahomans tried to block or slow the growth all-Black towns by imposing ‘oaths’ that limited hiring Black laborers or refusing to rent or sell land to a Black person. In 1921, the ‘Black Wall Street’ neighborhood of Tulsa was decimated during an incident of white mob violence. Dozens of Black residents were killed & hundreds more injured in what became known as the Tulsa Massacre.

For decades, the incident was barely taught, if at all, in schools. All-Black communities in the state entered a period of decline during the Great Depression.

Today, Jones’ footage is considered some of the best documentation of what life was like in Black communities at the time. The films showcase unique, culturally rich towns full of communities that supported one another despite an often racist society around them.

For more stories on Black History Month and world news, subscribe to NowThis News.

#BlackHistoryMonth #News #NowThis #NowThisNews

Connect with NowThis

NowThis is your premier news outlet providing you with all the videos you need to stay up to date on all the latest in trending news. From entertainment to politics, to viral videos and breaking news stories, we’re delivering all you need to know straight to your social feeds. We live where you live.

@nowthisnews
Рекомендации по теме
Комментарии
Автор

I aint ever seen this many black people smile all at once...im 34 free and American...im also Black and amazed to see my people look so good...I never saw this in history books growing up. Beautiful to see.

LUZBLACK
Автор

You know this footage deeply impacted me. It makes you realize how precious this content is because I’ve never seen it. You never get to see Black people at this time respectfully represented. They’re not the token entertainer in a feature film. In this footage you get to see them “just be.”

sierrarowe
Автор

This saddens me. I am in tears. Beautiful music. The artist need to be recognized.

steamdecknation
Автор

Thank you Rev.Jones! For this amazing piece of footage, it's a part of American history which should not be forgotten.

andricrypto
Автор

Born and raised in Tulsa, OK we never was taught any of this in school. I didn't know of Black Wall Street until I was a grown man.

jermainejones
Автор

The black people in this video are living a better life than we are now. Don't @ me, I said what I said

InkwellFoto
Автор

Wow! It makes you want to cry! Knowing we were doing good in towns everywhere! I see why we were not in the history books! Just think how powerful our country would have been. If they just let us live as people in peace! It is now 2020 and look where America is at! Thank you, Thank you Rev. Jones for the footage! He much footage is our there! That shows how we were as people.

SuperSpace
Автор

People talk “Wakanda” but I look to videos like these as motivation of how we where when left alone

djst
Автор

This brings tears to my eyes. This country knew that African Americans would have done better than our captors!

donnyallard
Автор

I am excited to learn all I can about these amazing black people wow

idamaebennett
Автор

You reeled 🎣 me back in with this one, good job, guys 👌🏽💯

MercuryWolff
Автор

I am Grateful. Thank you,
Reverend Solomon Sir Jones!

jdfsl
Автор

Whenever I hear white people say "Why can't you just forget about slavery?" I respond with, "We tried to forget about it. Y'all wouldn't let us."

seqenenretaoii
Автор

Thanks to integration, interracial marriage white jealousy, supremacy and racism and other issues I won't mention is why we don't have this anymore. This was when black people were black. Carrying themselves well, and having high self esteem. Look at the black community today. Mr. Garvey and Mr. X are rolling over in their graves right now.

Jocelyn
Автор

A Beautiful documentary! I can only imagine what other film footages about Us during first hundred yrs. post-slavery. I felt a calm within myself watching this film....We did pull Ourselves up without any bootstraps! 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿

ericmccray
Автор

It's very sad what happened to those beautiful black people. But the footage was nice.

laurawinters
Автор

This is the stuff they don’t teach us in school. 😭

moods.maya
Автор

Shalom/Peace Israelite family . Deuteronomy 28:43
“The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.”

ychanan
Автор

INTEGRATION HURT US ❗️
WE HAD MORE WHEN WE WHERE SEPARATE FROM LOVE 🖤

yodae
Автор

Reparations for slavery and post-slavery destruction of oil wells, feed stores, schools, farms, homes, other industries, and the massacre of thousands are owed, because the government cooperated with and assisted the destruction.

McQueenPress