ANNA
When I heard about what a Green Book was (not the movie, there's a lot of whitewashing and white savior going on there) I was shocked, but not much. America's history of blatant racism is not new to me. But then I learned about Sundown towns in America. I learned about Anna, and it all made sense:
"Anna’s historical resistance to black people is, and has long been, well known in the region. Even though it may never have been codified, I found references to the fact that black people weren’t allowed to live in Anna in newspaper articles from as early as 1903. In that particular reference, a woman from Anna who worked as a hotel maid in Indianapolis was quoted as saying, “I never saw more than 10 negroes in all my life until I was 18 … as a negro is not allowed to stop in our little village of Anna.”
The thing is, I have this thing against road trips going South of Chicago: I rather not drive and I'd rather not stay on the road too long after dark. And I'm not even Black. But I'm Queer. And the same people who are racist are homophobic. Yes, there's a correlation there, Blanche. And even though correlation is not causation, I don't want to be in a town like that for more than the most strictly necessary. The Holidays are upon us and I'm going to visit some people out of state. I don't want to fly, because if any stupid cunt decides to take their mask off or start a riot in the plane, I'm the first one who's going to get some duck tape and tape that idiot to the plane seat. So it's going to be a road trip. And I'm sure I'm going to be driving by some Sundown Towns. Because they still exist in America.
The term “sundown town” applies to places that, via policy, violence or both, barred black people from town after dark; as the book explains, the phrase is derived from “the signs that many of [these places] formerly sported at their corporate limits — signs that usually said ‘N****, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on You in __.’”
The idea that there are 99% white towns in America should not surprise anybody. I'm sure some of you live in one. I'm sure some of you have not even noticed it. By now you know how white fear functions: white people do not want their city to end like those 'other' cities, you know, the ones with diversity. A-N-N-A is short for 'Ain't No N***** Allowed' and they're proud of it. There are less of them around, but there are some still standing strong, like the Illinois suburb of Kenilworth, where in 2010 you could not find a single Black household. And the ones that have integrated, end up like Ferguson, Missouri, that used to be a Sundown city and now has a majority Black population. With a majority white Police force. Some things do not change.
The idea of driving around the United States could be a measure of your privilege: think of it of a litmus test for your whiteness or your ability to go about with your life without interruption due to the color of your skin. If you can go out in any town in America without a second thought about wondering if that is a Sundown Town, you're white, dear. And most probably straight-passing. North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia have more in common with Southern Illinois than you'd think. Confederate flags still fly in towns like Anna. And they're proud of it.
So yeah, I'm going to be driving around Southern Illinois soon. But I won't be stopping at Anna. I'll make sure it's not even in the itinerary. They're not my kind of people.
XOXO
as soon as I read ANNA I immediately thought it was a female name (it's my mom's name). In Italy we are not yet a multiracial society and therefore we do not have these problems of coexistence. However, there are areas around Milan or Naples or Rome, areas where it is not safe to walk beyond the sunset, especially if you are a woman. It can be really, really dangerous.
ReplyDeleteI is the actual name of a city.
DeleteRacist people have made sure it fits their ideology. and I think all big cities have areas where nobody who does not belong there would walk. There are parts of Chicago where I've never been and will never visit.
XOXO
Wow...My thoughts exactly and succinctly made. I live in a bastion of liberal america and I always choose to stay north of the line.
ReplyDeleteSame.
DeleteI try to avoid 'Middle America' like the plague. Small, quaint towns always give me Stephen King's Desperation vibes.
XOXO
"It shouldn't come as a surprise?" Interesting phrase. Many of those who voted for Liar #45 come from small towns without color. Keep in mind, they are small, and their numbers are dwindling.
ReplyDeleteAmerica is inherently racist. It was funded on racism. Finding racism in a racist country should not be a surprise. Yet here we are.
DeleteThey are small and their hatred is distilled potently.
XOXO
Yep, times have changed, but they also haven't. I feel pretty good traveling. But I avoid some places when driving. Where I get nervous is those small towns like in the south and Appalachian Mts, and mid-west. Power in numbers dear. Maybe you, I, Upton, and Bob can Too Wong Foo it and do a road trip??? it will be a cross of the movie and We're Here.
ReplyDeleteThe more things change, right?
DeleteI definitely don't like getting out of the car in some places. I sometimes put gas but mostly stay in. That's why I always try to travel with someone.
And I would LOVE a road trip with all of us! The fun!
XOXO
Oh my goodness. That is sad.
ReplyDeleteI always fill up in Columbus prior to any sort of road trip. I would hate to have to fill up in a small town. There is always that uneasy feeling of "am I welcome here"? Being LGBTQ! and Asian, there's always been a sense that I'm not truly accepted in smaller towns who probably have not seen an Asian, much less a gay one.
It is, sad, indeed.
DeleteAs I told Maddie, I try to stay in the car. And I always try to drive with someone else. Really. And being an 'other' can be dangerous in small towns. One never knows...
XOXO
Living in the South, albeit in a Blue part of the South, there are still some places I'd rather not stop in, and would never get out of the car. But that also applies to a lot of small towns with small minds everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of ANNA, but the idea makes me ill.
Oh, the South IS the south.
DeleteI would never voluntarily move to the South. And I mostly stay in the car. I've done the same in Alabama and Wyoming. Small town, big hell.
The idea that people would use the name of their town to embed their racism blew me away.
XOXO
I have never heard to term "Sundown town", however I went to college in the mountains of North Carolina where the black population did just that. They went to a place called by the locals as "N****r Hill". There were also slave graves on campus. The most remarkable thing I remember is, an old black man who used a broken golf club as a cane , jumped off the sidewalk into the gutter to let me and my friends pass. There was no need of this as there was plenty of room for each of us. There was one black student at the school. It never dawned on me what he had to deal with.
ReplyDeleteSame.
DeleteI've heard of the idea of Black people needed the Green Book, but Sundown Town? No. And North Carolina is still the South. And what that Black man did? Heartbreaking, but not surprising. There's intergenerational trauma alive in the Black community.
XOXO
Sad and shocking.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely.
DeleteIt's the XXI century and still, here we are.
XOXO
As sick and disgusting as it is, there is a little town in Northern Nevada that STILL blasts the clarion at sundown. Theirs wasn't strictly for Blacks...it's for the Native Americans, too. Some youngsters tried to get them to remove it - or at least stop using the damn thing. But, of course, they lost that battle. Those towns exist ALL OVER the country. Welcome to the (current) history of "'Murica!" XOXO
ReplyDeleteWhoa.
DeleteTotally believe it. It's the existence of those towns and the people who live in them what keeps this country tied to a bloody, racist past.
XOXO
It’s a terrible commentary on our country that these areas still exist. Many of them are experiencing economic and population decline and I’m sure will eventually disappear. Many of the young people are abandoning the towns and are also becoming enlightened. So there’s a glimmer of hope.
ReplyDeleteXOXO 👨🏼❤️💋👨🏾
Oh, the underbelly of America is not pretty.
DeleteAnd I don't think they'll disappear. Not just yet. Many young people do leave but many stay and continue the cycle.
XOXO
Fascinating and sad. Thanks for sharing this. Great stuff... sad, though it is. Road trips are not what they used to be anyway. Having lived in a small town in Iowa for a year in the 90's, I can tell you... those side-eye glances mean trouble. You're right about homophobia and racism being linked. I used to think visiting a small town was lots of fun... because I adore their downtown districts, but these days? They are hotbeds of covid infection and MAGA stupidity. So will avoid until I retire, when I plan on moving to one with my two younger sisters and we plan on starting a riot! :) Well, we plan on creating a coffee shop with a performing space and collect all the resident fringe dwellers. :) Kizzes.
ReplyDeleteI do road trips when I have to, like now. Or when I can travel with other people. Never alone.
DeleteQuaint little towns sometimes give me that Desperation vibe. I tend to avoid them. You are right, they are hotbeds of MAGAts and COVID.
And I'd LOVE to visit your coffee shop when you retire! LOL It would be THE place to go in any town.
XOXO