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Summary
Summary
How African Americans thrived in a West Virginia city
By 1930, Huntington had become West Virginia's largest city. Its booming economy and relatively tolerant racial climate attracted African Americans from across Appalachia and the South. Prosperity gave these migrants political clout and spurred the formation of communities that defined black Huntington--factors that empowered blacks to confront institutionalized and industrial racism on the one hand and the white embrace of Jim Crow on the other. Cicero M. Fain III illuminates the unique cultural identity and dynamic sense of accomplishment and purpose that transformed African American life in Huntington. Using interviews and untapped archival materials, Fain details the rise and consolidation of the black working class as it pursued, then fulfilled, its aspirations. He also reveals how African Americans developed a host of strategies--strong kin and social networks, institutional development, property ownership, and legal challenges--to defend their gains in the face of the white status quo. Eye-opening and eloquent, Black Huntington makes visible another facet of the African American experience in Appalachia.
Author Notes
Cicero M. Fain III is a professor of history at the College of Southern Maryland.
Reviews (1)
Choice Review
Huntington, West Virginia, in the early 20th century became a beacon for African Americans who found in the city racial tolerance and economic opportunity. Cicero M. Fain III (College of Southern Maryland) begins his history of the city by exploring rural life in Cabell County, Virginia, in 1825. He details how generations of African Americans utilized their culture, kin networks, and economic opportunities to shape the local environs. Their success, especially building a strong working class, encouraged other African Americans to migrate to Huntington. Threatened by the growth and influence of the African American population, whites at both the city and state level rapidly maximized the power of Jim Crow laws to strip African Americans of their political power. Efforts to blunt African American social and economic power in Huntington proved far more difficult as the community was able to preserve many of the institutions that had allowed for the advancement of the populace. This most welcome study provides great insights into the urban experience of Affrilachians. It is highly recommended for collections in African American studies, Appalachian studies, civil rights, and urban studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --John R. Burch, University of Tennessee at Martin
Table of Contents
Preface | p. ix |
Acknowledgments | p. xv |
Chapter 1 The African American Experience in Cabell County, Virginia / West Virginia, 1825-1870 | p. 1 |
Chapter 2 The "Grapevine Telegraph": Post-Emancipation Black Community and Early Black Migrant Influx, 1865-1871 | p. 22 |
Chapter 3 Into the Crucible: The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad and the Black Industrial Worker, 1870-1900 | p. 45 |
Chapter 4 Community, Race, and Class: Black Settlement Patterns, 1871-Early 1900s | p. 70 |
Chapter 5 Institutional Development, Public Space, and Political Aspiration in Early Huntington, 1870-Early 1900s | p. 93 |
Chapter 6 Spreading Our Wings: Afro-Huntingtonian Progress during the Era of "Benevolent Segregation" | p. 117 |
Appendix A Virginia Slave Totals, 1860 | p. 147 |
Appendix B Occupational Statistics for Huntington's African American Population | p. 149 |
Notes | p. 157 |
Bibliography | p. 215 |
Index | p. 237 |