The following are short descriptions of the places which have contributed to the shaping of African American history. These encyclopedia entries serve as a starting point for much more inclusive descriptions and discussions that appear in other sources. For additional information please consult the print or website sources cited in the entry.
Detroit, Michigan, is a large midwestern city founded in 1701 by French settlers. With a population of 664,139, Detroit is the most populated city in Michigan, and it has the highest percentage of African Americans in a major city with over 70% of its residents … Read More10) Detroit, Michigan (1701- )
Cheraw is a small town founded in 1820 in northern South Carolina with a population today of approximately 5,500 people. Nearly 60% of the people in Cheraw is African American and almost 30% live in poverty. This small town is not only defined by racialized … Read More3) Cheraw, South Carolina (1820- )
The Flint Water Crisis was a public health catastrophe in Flint, Michigan, a city of nearly 100,000 residents, 57% of whom were black. After the city switched its water supply to the Flint River in April 2014, residents were exposed to pathogenic microbes and toxic … Read More6) Flint Water Crisis (2014- )
With a population of nearly 4 million people, Los Angeles, California is the second-largest city in the United States. About 48.6% of the population in the city identifies as Latino and 9% as African American. Los Angeles also has some of the most polluted air … Read More8) Los Angeles, California (1781)
Located in Palm Beach County, Pahokee, Florida is a small city with a population of approximately 6,269 people. Every October, residents of Pahokee witness the fall of “black snow.” The “snow” is a sooty byproduct of the agricultural practice of burning the sugar cane fields … Read More2) Pahokee, Florida (1909- )
The Bronx is one of New York City’s five boroughs, located in the state of New York. It shares the same boundaries as Bronx County, the country’s third-most densely inhabited county. It is also considered one of the most diverse boroughs in the city. The … Read More5) The Bronx (1898)
Houston, Texas, with a population of 2.3 million people, 23% of whom are African American, is fourth largest city in the United States. Long recognized as the “energy capital of America,” Houston is also one of the nation’s greatest contributors to greenhouse gas and fossil … Read More7) Houston, Texas (1837- )
When residents of St. Gabriel, Louisiana took note of the large number of fellow community members being diagnosed with cancer along Jacobs Drive, the community nicknamed the street “Cancer Alley.” As the number of cancer cases steadily grew within their community and across the state, … Read More1) Cancer Alley, Louisiana (1987- )
Uniontown is a community of 1,880 people, located in Perry County, Alabama, and was originally named Woodville, after the first family to settle there in 1818. In the winter of 2008, a malfunction at the Tennessee Kingston Fossil Plant in Kingston, Roane County, Tennessee led … Read More4) Uniontown, Alabama (1818- )
Founded in 1779, Warren County, North Carolina, is the birthplace of the environmental racism movement. In 1982 members of the predominantly Black population of Warren County, situated on the North Carolina border with Virginia, began protesting the decision by the State of North Carolina to … Read More9) Warren County, North Carolina (1779- )
