Black History: Growing up in Chicago's "Black Belt"

Timuel Black grew up in Chicago's "Black Belt".  His family moved to Chicago during the "Great Migration", in 1919.  (Mine migrated in 1920.)  

African Americans left the South in order to have a better life and a better future for themselves and their families.  They often settled in large cities including Chicago, Cleveland and New York, where they formed their own communities during segregation.  

Black lists the reasons why his parents decided to move North.  

Unfortunately, many of these prosperous, thriving Black communities were destroyed by white supremacists.  See also:   

The Rosewood Massacre  

100 Years Since the Destruction of Black Wall Street.  

Go here for more Black history blogs.  

Why are we only just now starting to hear about these thriving Black communities - and the demise of many of them?  Please comment below and please share.  Thanks.  

Dark Girls Lecture with Directors

The Dark Girls documentary explores color prejudice/colorism among African American women. See below for a trailer.

The Du Sable Museum in Chicago will hold a lecture with Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry, the directors of Dark Girls, on Monday, October 10, 2011.

For details of this and other events, see Black History/Cultural Events.

See also: Chicago African Festival of the Arts.

For more great stuff like this, click here to join Nurture Success.

See also: Africa and Africans on Film.

Dark Girls: Preview from Bradinn French on Vimeo.

Chicago African Festival of the Arts

The African Festival of the Arts in Chicago celebrates the arts of the African Diaspora. 2-5 September 2011.

For details of this and more events, see Black History/Cultural Events.

Below is a video about the African Festival of the Arts.