A historical map of Sundown Towns in the US
Interesting to see the historical markers and upsetting to see so many of them across the map. An important bit of context is that the person who originally shared this online was pointing out there are still plenty of places in this country which are sundown towns and that they are not limited to the South. The link goes to the Twitter thread with more good links for further reading.
Going back to the map, Seattle here is historically a sundown town for Asians and Indigenous People, the site gives this historical context:
When Seattle incorporated in 1865, the city banned American Indians from living there, except as live-in domestic workers. When the city was reincorporated in 1869, the legal ban was lifted, and it may not have been effectively enforced, 1865-69. American Indians were still frequently harrassed [sic], however, and subject to segregation.
In the 1880s, white Seattle residents attempted to expel the city’s Chinese population. “A vigilante gang of whites marched on Chinatown one morning and at gunpoint gathered the Asian residents, herding them down to the train station. There the Asians were loaded onto freight cars and shipped off to Tacoma. Some eventually (and quietly) returned but most apparently did not…
"On February 7, 1886, a throng of workers rounded up virtually every Chinese in Seattle and herded them to the Ocean Dock at the foot of Main Street for passage out of town on a waiting steamer. The mob and its frightened charges were met at the pier by police and a contingent of the volunteer Home Guard. A stalemate ensued when territorial governor Watson Squire prevented the ship from leaving." Thus Seattle never quite became a sundown town vis-a-vis Chinese, at least not for longer than a few days. Many Seattle neighborhoods kept out African Americans, by tradition and force, and also by restrictive covenants, but as an entity, Seattle never prohibited blacks from living within the city limits.
I think this is perhaps even kind to Seattle. It has a very racist history which only broke from core institutional issues in the last fifty-sixty years.
As of the 2022 Census the demographics for King County (which I'll come back to my county's name in a moment):
| Race and Hispanic Origin | % |
|---|---|
| White alone | 63.5% |
| Black or African American | 7.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.0% |
| Asian | 21.7% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.9% |
| Two or more races | 5.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 10.5% |
| White alone, not Hispanic or Latino | 55.% |
For comparison: I grew up in Orange County, Florida. Their census shows: 20% (+13%) Black or African American, 33% (+22.5%) Hispanic or Latino people, but less than 6% (-15.7%) Asian people.
Now, switching to King County, Washington and it's history.
King County was created prior to Washington becoming a state, and it was originally named after Vice President William R. King, who served under Pierce. In 1986 the county's council approved an effort to rename the namesake of the county to be for Martin Luther King Jr. because one of these people fought racism, and the other was a slave owner. I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader to guess which is which.
Fascinatingly the county did not have the power to make this name change, it has to be done by the state. So it wasn't until 2005 that the governor signed a bill which made this namesake change official.
The last topic I'll touch on this discussion as I make sure to shine light on the Seattle history, is a look at its racially restrictive covenants which limited property ownership by minorities.
From the link, a page from UW:
The language of segregation still haunts Seattle and cities and towns throughout Washington State. It lurks in the deeds of more than 30,000 homeowners in King County and at least 20,000 more in other counties. Look deep in the fine print. Many Queen Anne residents have this clause in their deeds: "No person or persons of Asiatic, African or Negro blood, lineage, or extraction shall be permitted to occupy a portion of said property."
Racial deed restrictions became common in the decades between 1910 and 1960. For most of that time, the restrictions were an enforceable contract and an owner who violated them risked forfeiting the property. Many neighborhoods prohibited the sale or rental of property to Asian Americans and Jews as well as Blacks. In 1968, Congress passed the Fair Housing Act, finally declaring it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity in the sale or rental of housing. Although decades have passed since 1968, the shadow of these racist restrictions remains, shaping the demography of some neighborhoods, constraining access to homeownership for thousands of families who experienced generations of exclusion.
These exclusions were hardly unique to Seattle, but it is notable how it was only declared unlawful less than 70 years ago.
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"It's Time To Learn To Love Procedure and the Nuance of Law"
I follow this blog's author, Teri Kanefield, on Mastodon and quite enjoyed this explanation around the letter Trump received, what it likely means, and more insights into the way this process works.
I particularly enjoyed this section:
Trump’s Trial Schedule
- January 15: The next Jean E. Carroll trial (civil)
- March: Manhattan hush-money case (criminal)
- May: Stolen documents case (criminal)
Plus, we’re expecting two more indictments, one from Georgia and of course, one for the J6 insurrection. You can see that Trump’s 2024 trial dance card is getting full.
Dan Rather discusses Florida's 'Stop WOKE Act'
Dan Rather discusses Florida's horrible decision to sanitize the nightmares that was America's history regarding slavery:
As much as we wish American history were different, tragedy is part of our reality. We do a grave disservice to future generations if we sanitize the truth. People can behave horribly. Societies that profess noble values can countenance violent bigotry. We can either look back from whence we have come with clarity, or we can try to muddy the roots of the present and weaken ourselves in the process.
This week, the Florida State Board of Education reworked its standards for teaching Black history. The changes come in response to the state’s so-called “Stop W.O.K.E. Act.” Passed last year, it limits training and education around issues of race, sex, and other criteria for systemic injustice. At its heart is a core belief that has animated right-wing culture warriors: that people alive today should not be made to feel bad or even uncomfortable by the sins of the past. The thinking goes, that was a long time ago.
But of course it really wasn’t. And the legacies of the past live on. And if we don’t learn from history, we are bound to repeat it.
George Takei also had a thought regarding this stupidity:
GM Ju Wenjun is the Women's World Chess Champion
Her name is not Magnus Carlsen, but it cannot be overlooked that this is her fourth time winning and retaining the title.
The Sounders Need New Blood
On paper, the Sounders roster should unquestionably be among the best in the league. And we remain near the top of the West entirely thanks to strong defense where we steal points by maintaining clean sheets. But we have struggled for multiple months now to score goals.
Craig Waibel, the GM for the club, has made it sound like he's not actively searching for a new player. I'm sure some of that is business and not wanting to give potential negotiations leverage. But it is also very likely that we do not make any signings in the summer and the club decides to ride this roster through the season, for better or worse.
I am squarely situated in the opinion that it will be for worse.
We can't score goals.
Should we be able to? Absolutely.
Can we? Absolutely not.
The Sounders need a new offensive player to shake things up. Otherwise I may as well stop watching the rest of this season because we're just going to float downwards before crashing out of the post season.
TIL: Rhode Island changed its name in 2020
Even many Americans don't realize that Rhode, Island, the smallest US state by area, actually had a longer official name until last year: State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
But in a referendum on Nov. 3, the same day as the 2020 US presidential election, the state's voters chose to amend the state constitution and shorten the name to just "State of Rhode Island".
Automated Archives for July, 22nd 2023
This post was automatically generated
Wallabag Additions
These are articles that which I saved today so that I may read them later. Substance and quality will vary drastically.
- Reinventing the E.R. for America’s Mental-Health Crisis
- Generals, Peaceniks, and Palestinian Fighters Agree: Bibi Must Be Stopped
- In former 'sundown' town shadowed by racist past, advocates seek allies for racial justice
- The Legend of A-N-N-A: Revisiting an American Town Where Black People Weren’t Welcome After Dark
- A New Approach to M.S. Could Transform Treatment of Other Diseases
Blog Posts On This Day
- 2022-07-22 (9 posts)