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My uncle said that in the 70's the city bussed in lots of black people from the south, especially poor parts of Georgia. Why did they do that? Just curious
My uncle said that in the 70's the city bussed in lots of black people from the south, especially poor parts of Georgia. Why did they do that? Just curious
I don't think Black people were bussed in from Georgia randomly. What you did see is that many Black folks from Florida, among other Southern states, came up to work on farms, orchards and vineyards in rural areas outside of Rochester. That is why you will notice Black populations/communities in many small towns like Albion, Medina, Sodus, Lyons, Williamson, Newark, etc. This occurred before the 70's too. Some were seasonal migrant farmers as well.
Many just came to work in area factories and other industries too.
Also, I believe that some of the major companies like Kodak and Xerox had diversity initiatives where they were looking for talented minorities/people of color. That started in the 70's and many of these folks lived throughout the area, with Henrietta being the first suburban town where you started noticing a diverse population emerging.
One last thing, the Rochester area has always had a Black population/community. Even small towns like LeRoy and Caledonia/Mumford has had long time Black communities due to the Underground Railroad. Some were Blacks were brought as slaves or were runaways from the South or parts of NY that had more of a slave culture. Both of those communities/areas even have churches that worship out of the Historically Black tradition. So, Black people in the area isn't a relatively recent thing.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 08-13-2013 at 03:17 PM..
I don't think Black people were bussed in from Georgia randomly. What you did see is that many Black folks from Florida, among other Southern states, came up to work on farms, orchards and vineyards in rural areas outside of Rochester. That is why you will notice Black populations/communities in many small towns like Albion, Medina, Sodus, Lyons, Williamson, Newark, etc. This occurred before the 70's too. Some were seasonal migrant farmers as well.
Many just came to work in area factories and other industries too.
Also, I believe that some of the major companies like Kodak and Xerox had diversity initiatives where they were looking for talented minorities/people of color. That started in the 70's and many of these folks lived throughout the area, with Henrietta being the first suburban town where you started noticing a diverse population emerging.
One last thing, the Rochester area has always had a Black population/community. Even small towns like LeRoy and Caledonia/Mumford has had long time Black communities due to the Underground Railroad. Some were Blacks were brought as slaves or were runaways from the South or parts of NY that had more of a slave culture. Both of those communities/areas even have churches that worship out of the Historically Black tradition. So, Black people in the area isn't a relatively recent thing.
This is all true. In 1950, Rochester had about 8,400 African Americans living in the city. That increased by 300% by 1960 and today there are closer to 90,000 African Americans in the City of Rochester.
Now there was a fairly large black community in Rochester prior to this migration. Ever hear of Clarissa Street? That area (which was once the cultural center of Jazz in upstate NY and was destroyed following the 1964 riots) was a predominantly African American neighborhood as early as the 1820s.
I would not say it is accurate that Black people were "bussed in" from the south though. Large numbers came in for the reasons stated above, as well as to be respected as citizens, something that was unfortunately not very common in the south 50 years ago. This demographic shift was also fuelled by the lack of adequate living conditions for African Americans in the rural south. Northern cities like Rochester, Buffalo, St. Louis, New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia etc. had modern housing, better job opportunities and far less discrimination.
So no, Rochester didn't just decide to bus in Black people in the 1970s. They migrated on their own to better themselves, and improve the lives of their families, no differently than any other migration throughout history.
^ Exactly. I believe that Rochester and Syracuse were the top two cities in terms of Blacks folks migrating from the South between the end of WW2 and 1970. I believe this is in terms of growth of the Black populations.
Geneva during portions of the mid and late 19th century was around 8% Black, before many left and later, moved to the city again. So, even surrounding cities and towns have always had a Black population/community. AA History 1830 to 1865 (look at 1850)
I dare say that there was a Black community in the Rochester area before there were many of the European ethnic communities that people associate with certain areas of town or the metro.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 08-13-2013 at 06:19 PM..
I think maybe they were trying to boost the declining population in rochester any way they could much as england is doing now letting any immigrant in that wants to come.
I think maybe they were trying to boost the declining population in rochester any way they could much as england is doing now letting any immigrant in that wants to come.
That has been going on in this country for centuries. Again, that isnt anything new and Rochester as a metro hasn't had a population loss. Monroe County has only recorded a loss in the census once(1980) and even that was only at around 1% or so.
That has been going on in this country for centuries. Again, that isnt anything new and Rochester as a metro hasn't had a population loss. Monroe County has only recorded a loss in the census once(1980) and even that was only at around 1% or so.
mabye they didn't record a population loss because they bussed in lots of black people before the census came?
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Good one!
