Current:Home > StocksCharles M. Blow on reversing the Great Migration-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Charles M. Blow on reversing the Great Migration
View Date:2024-12-23 22:31:03
Our commentary is from New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow, whose new HBO documentary "South to Black Power" is now streaming on Max:
At the end of the Civil War, three Southern states (Louisiana, South Carolina and Mississippi) were majority Black, and others were very close to being so. And during Reconstruction, the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution made Black people citizens and gave Black men the right to vote.
This led to years of tremendous progress for Black people, in part because of the political power they could now access and wield on the state level.
- Reconstruction, one of the most misunderstood chapters in American history ("Sunday Morning")
- "Mobituaries": Reconstruction and the death of representation ("Sunday Morning")
But when Reconstruction was allowed to fail and Jim Crow was allowed to rise, that power was stymied. So began more decades of brutal oppression.
In the early 1910s, Black people began to flee the South for more economic opportunity and the possibility of more social and political inclusion in cities to the North and West. This became known as the Great Migration, and lasted until 1970.
But nearly as soon as that Great Migration ended, a reverse migration of Black people back to the South began, and that reverse migration – while nowhere near as robust of the original – is still happening today.
In 2001 I published a book called "The Devil You Know," encouraging even more Black people to join this reverse migration and reclaim the state power that Black people had during Reconstruction. I joined that reverse migration myself, moving from Brooklyn to Atlanta.
- Georgia made more competitive by 1 million new voters since '16 election (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- "Hope is bringing us back": Black voters are moving South, building power for Democrats (USA Today)
- Federal judge rules Georgia's district lines violated Voting Rights Act and must be redrawn
Last year, I set out to make a documentary which road-tested the idea, traveling the country, both North and South, and having people wrestle with this idea of Black power.
To watch a trailer for "South to Black Power" click on the video player below:
Here are three things I learned from that experience.
First, Black people are tired of marching and appealing for the existing power structure to treat them fairly.
Second, young Black voters respond to a power message more than to a message of fear and guilt.
And third, many of the people I talked to had never truly allowed themselves to consider that there was another path to power that didn't run though other people's remorse, pity, or sense of righteousness.
I don't know if Black people will heed my call and reestablish their majorities, or near-majorities, in Southern states. But sparking the conversation about the revolutionary possibility of doing so could change the entire conversation about power in this country, in the same way that it has changed me.
For more info:
- Charles M. Blow, The New York Times
Story produced by Robbyn McFadden. Editor: Chad Cardin.
More from Charles M. Blow:
- The dream marches on: Looking back on MLK's historic 1963 speech
- On Tyre Nichols' death, and America's shame
- On "The Slap" as a cultural Rorschach test
- How the killings of two Black sons ignited social justice movements
- On when the media gives a platform to hate
- Memories of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre
- On the Derek Chauvin trial: "This time ... history would not be repeated"
- On the greatest threat to our democracy: White supremacy
- On race and the power held by police
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Georgia House Republicans stick with leadership team for the next two years
- Butternut squash weighs in at 131.4 pounds at Virginia State Fair, breaking world record
- Dolphin that shared a tank with Lolita the orca at Miami Seaquarium moves to SeaWorld San Antonio
- Bachelor Nation's Gabby Windey and Girlfriend Robby Hoffman Share Insight Into Their Rosy Romance
- Democrat Ruben Gallego wins Arizona US Senate race against Republican Kari Lake
- Toyota, Kia and Dodge among 105,000 vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
- Joe Burrow injury updates: Bengals QB active for 'Monday Night Football' vs. Rams
- The Amazing Race's Oldest Female Contestant Jody Kelly Dead at 85
- It's cozy gaming season! Video game updates you may have missed, including Stardew Valley
- Below Deck Med Is Rocked By a Shocking, Unexpected Departure on Season 8 Premiere
Ranking
- Olivia Munn Randomly Drug Tests John Mulaney After Mini-Intervention
- Horoscopes Today, September 25, 2023
- Supreme Court's interpretation of the word and could affect thousands of prison sentences each year
- To TikTok or not to TikTok? One GOP candidate joins the app even as he calls it ‘digital fentanyl’
- Singles' Day vs. Black Friday: Which Has the Best Deals for Smart Shoppers?
- Fresh fighting reported in Ethiopia’s Amhara region between military and local militiamen
- Miley Cyrus Goes Back to Her Brunette Roots in New Hair Transformation
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bills to bolster protections for LGBTQ people
Recommendation
-
Sports are a must-have for many girls who grow up to be leaders
-
Video shows landmark moment when sample of asteroid Bennu touches down on Earth
-
United Auto Workers expand strike, CVS walkout, Menendez indictment: 5 Things podcast
-
'Rick and Morty' Season 7 trailer reveals new voice actors: Who is replacing Justin Roiland?
-
Tesla issues 6th Cybertruck recall this year, with over 2,400 vehicles affected
-
Column: Ryder Cup is in America’s head. But it’s in Europe’s blood
-
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bills to bolster protections for LGBTQ people
-
Investigators: Plane went into stall during maneuvers before Philadelphia-area crash that killed 2