Short video on the history of Mound Bayou, a town founded by freed Black slaves exclusively for Blacks. The former slaves came from a plantation, whose owner believed he could get more work from his slaves if they practised a variety of skills and occupations. When freedom came, the liberated slaves had all the skills necessary to support themselves as a viable community.
Their leader established Mound Bayou on former marshland, and used the South’s racial segregation laws against White domination. The town was to be solely for Blacks. Whites were legally forbidden from owning property there. The city government was all Black, the sheriff and law enforcement were all Black, the banks and businesses were similarly totally Black. When a middle class White business organisation tried to force free Blacks into subservience by withdrawing credit for Black businesses through the banks, the Black bank in Mound Bayou kept these businesses afloat by supplying them instead.
The town still survives, but has declined since its 19th century heyday. One reason for this is that the trains no longer stop there.
This is a fascinating look at a successful free Black American town, in contrast to others that were burned down by White Supremacist. It’s existence challenges the notion that Blacks are unable to successfully run communities. It also partly supports the argument of the Black American conservative, Shelby Steele, in his book False Black Power that Black Americans would have been concentrating on developing themselves economically through establishing and building up businesses rather than going for political power. As a result, so he contends, Black America has produced a vast number of local and national politicians but seriously declined materially. However, Bayou prospered and defied White domination as it had both: a Black government and solid Black businesses and professions.
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