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actually, italians aren't a significant presence in nyc like they once were and african americans have had a rich history in nyc. anyone saying that northern cities shouldn't be on the list didn't pay attention in history class when they talked about the harlem renaissance. i don't expect anyone to know about local things that go on in queens and bk but yeah.
hip hop came out of the bronx. breakdancing, graffiti, djying (scratching) as we know it, all that. all that is black culture. nyc is the reason (in recent times) why black culture became pop culture as far as music and fashion during the 80's and 90's. consider that before you say something about northern cities shouldn't be on this list. we defined a generation through music and fashion in the 80's and 90's.
but for the sake of the thread, i'd say detroit and chicago should definitely be on the list.
There are SEVERAL cities that can be on this list such as these from the following regions. Northeast(NY,Phil, DC though I can easily put that in South but I'm speaking of cultural as of today now), South (ATL, HOU, NO, Memphis), and Midwest (STL, Chi, Det). More are in the South obviously because it has by far the country's largest black population and the longest history of blacks as well. The past 50 years though, the AA culture has been shaped by the Northern cities specifically, NY, Det, and Chicago. But the Southern cities didn't go anywhere.
I'm not entirely sure. Baltimore and New Orleans I'm pretty sure are the main places for Black Catholic history. New Orleans has the only University that's both historically Black and Catholic, Xavier University of Louisiana. The current Surgeon General apparently went to Xavier for a time. Oddly the main names I think of in connection with Baltimore are Protestant.
Petersburg, Virginia has some of the oldest black Baptist churches in the nation. Richmond, Virginia also apparently has a long African American history. Savannah, Georgia looks to be sufficiently older than Atlanta and has a fair amount of sites related to African American history. Although it's a small city Tuskegee, Alabama has been fairly significant in AA history. Memphis, Tennessee is significant to the Blues and is majority AA.
In the North, as Baltimore is more mixed if we're talking history, Philadelphia might be way up there. James Forten, one of the wealthiest blacks in early 19th c. USA, was from Philadelphia.
Well, Philadelphia has had a lot of black people for a long time. Blacks were in Philadelphia far before they were in the Louisiana Territory, Georgia, Chicago, and Michigan. Only New York and Boston, and I suppose Jamestown, had black populations that predate Philadelphia's.
Philly's unique compared to its northern counterparts because it was the first stop for slaves on the underground railroad. Combine that with the fact that Quakers were formally intolerant of slavery and you get a large number of free blacks running around. Of all the northern cities (Washington, DC is not a northern city btw), Philadelphia has the largest percentage of blacks (40%). Pennsylvania is also the only state north of the Mason-Dixon with a Historically Black College or University.
My neighborhood was actually one of the breeding grounds of the abolitionist movement in the North. The house I grew up in, in Germantown, was actually used to house slaves that had escaped from the South. Try going to sleep as an 8-year old after hearing that bedtime story.
hip hop came out of the bronx. breakdancing, graffiti, djying (scratching) as we know it, all that. all that is black culture. nyc is the reason (in recent times) why black culture became pop culture as far as music and fashion during the 80's and 90's.
This is true for the most part. But NYC's African American culture has been muted by the growing influence of West Indians and Africans in the region. When I meet someone from New York, especially Brooklyn, I just assume they're West Indian. It's actually quite difficult to meet someone from NYC who doesn't have at least one parent or grandparent who is not West Indian. Even KRS-One, one of the pioneers of hip hop, was of Jamaican ancestry.
Philly, on the other hand, has a lot more "soul" than NYC. It's just a more soulful town. I don't really consider NYC as a "soul" city. The cities that come to mind are Detroit, Chicago, Philly, Memphis...pretty much any city that pumped out good soul music during the 1970s.
Well, Philadelphia has had a lot of black people for a long time. Blacks were in Philadelphia far before they were in the Louisiana Territory, Georgia, Chicago, and Michigan. Only New York and Boston, and I suppose Jamestown, had black populations that predate Philadelphia's.
Philly's unique compared to its northern counterparts because it was the first stop for slaves on the underground railroad. Combine that with the fact that Quakers were formally intolerant of slavery and you get a large number of free blacks running around. Of all the northern cities (Washington, DC is not a northern city btw), Philadelphia has the largest percentage of blacks (40%). Pennsylvania is also the only state north of the Mason-Dixon with a Historically Black College or University.
My neighborhood was actually one of the breeding grounds of the abolitionist movement in the North. The house I grew up in, in Germantown, was actually used to house slaves that had escaped from the South. Try going to sleep as an 8-year old after hearing that bedtime story.
Yeah, most people assume that there were no Black people in the North before the Great Migration. People forget that there were Black people in ALL of the original 13 colonies (the current states along the eastern seaboard). It's just that most enslaved blacks in the North (above the Mason-Dixon line) were freed after the Revolutionary War, whereas slavery continued to grow and expand in the South for another 100 years, until the Civil War.
Free Blacks in the North were concentrated in Philly, NY, and Boston, but the largest population was in Philly since it was the first destination for those escaping through the underground railroad. For instance, Frederick Douglass and Harriett Tubman, and others escaped first from Maryland to Philadelphia. One of today's largest and most prominent, predominantly African-American Christian denominations, the A.M.E. (African Methodist Episcopal) Church was founded in 1816 by Richard Allen in Philadelphia.
Many other Black institutions were founded there also since, afterall, they were "free" to do so--as far as building their own independent institutions and community.
For Philadelphia the later "Great Migration" of the 20th century simply added to a significant Black community that was already there. Philly had the largest Black population in the North (85,000+ African Americans) BEFORE the Great Migration from the South began in 1915.
Yeah, most people assume that there were no Black people in the North before the Great Migration. People forget that there were Black people in ALL of the original 13 colonies (the current states along the eastern seaboard). It's just that most enslaved blacks in the North (above the Mason-Dixon line) were freed after the Revolutionary War, whereas slavery continued to grow and expand in the South for another 100 years, until the Civil War.
Free Blacks in the North were concentrated in Philly, NY, and Boston, but the largest population was in Philly since it was the first destination for those escaping through the underground railroad. For instance, Frederick Douglass and Harriett Tubman, and others escaped first from Maryland to Philadelphia. One of today's largest and most prominent, predominantly African-American Christian denominations, the A.M.E. (African Methodist Episcopal) Church was founded in 1816 by Richard Allen in Philadelphia.
Many other Black institutions were founded there also since, afterall, they were "free" to do so--as far as building their own independent institutions and community.
For Philadelphia the later "Great Migration" of the 20th century simply added to a significant Black community that was already there. Philly had the largest Black population in the North (85,000+ African Americans) BEFORE the Great Migration from the South began in 1915.
Good points. I forgot to mention Richard Allen. The fact that Philly had so many free blacks, I think, makes it so different from every other city with substantial black populations. Most blacks in Chicago, for example, can easily trace their roots back to Mississippi by only going back a generation. But my stepfather's parents were from Philly. And so were their parents. And their parents. All his family has ever known is Philly. In Detroit or St. Louis, the overwhelming majority (98.87%) of black people are a generation or two removed from Alabama. Even here in DC, I find that most black people are just a generation removed from South Carolina. In Philly, though, it seems that your grandparents or great grandparents moved there from the South shortly after WWI, or that your family has been in the city for a very long time.
New Orleans. Not necessarily a glamorous history, but quite significant nonetheless. The city is 67% black according to the 2000 census. Definitely wouldn't think any northern cities.
Yes, New Orleans the birth place of Jazz. and of course Atlanta. Also Washington DC which was home to notable African Americans such as Benjamin Banneker who actually helped plan the layout for the city, Frederick Douglass, Jazz great Duke Ellington and home of Howard university one of the most important Black colleges in the country which produce the likes of Thurood Marshall and many others.
I think both the south and the north have significant areas of black history. Anybody that says one or the other is fooling themselves. The northern cities have been more prominent in the 20th century in relation to blacks in popular culture as well as blacks as whites saw them when they first really stepped into mainstream recognition in many fields (literature, music, etc) while black history in the south goes deeper into the 17th and 18th centuries. Both are important though.
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