Overview

A detailed study of the history of African Americans in a small upstate New York city from the days of the Underground Railroad to the deindustrialization of the 1980s. Blacks in Niagara Falls narrates and analyzes the history of Black Niagarans from the days of the Underground Railroad to the Age of Urban Renewal. Michael B. Boston details how Black Niagarans found themselves on the margins of society from the earliest days to how they came together as a community to proactively fight and struggle to obtain an equal share of society's opportunities. Boston explores how Blacks came to Niagara Falls in increasing numbers usually in search of economic opportunities, later establishing essential institutions, such as churches and community centers, which manifested and reinforced their values, and interacted with the broader community, seeking an equitable share of other society opportunities. This singular examination of a small city significantly contributes to Urban History and African American Studies scholarly research, which generally focuses on large cities. Combining primary source data with extensive interviews gathered over an eighteen-year period in which the author immersed himself in the Niagara community, Blacks in Niagara Falls offers an insightful study of how one small city community grew over its unique history.

Full Product Details

Author:   Michael B. Boston
Publisher:   State University of New York Press
Imprint:   State University of New York Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.680kg
ISBN:  

9781438484617

ISBN 10:   1438484615
Pages:   462
Publication Date:   16 August 2021
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Community Formation, 1850 to 1914 2. The Development of the Black Community, Late 1915 to the Early Great Depression Years 3. The Development of the Black Community, The Great Depression Years, 1930s 4. Expanded Community and New Realities, 1940 to 1960 5. The Civil Rights Years, 1960s 6. Public School Desegregation, 1960s and 1970s 7. Urban Renewal, 1960 to 1985: External Change Agents Juxtaposed with Internal Change Agents 8. A New Reality, 1980 to 1985 Conclusion Appendix A: Template for Interview Questions Appendix B: Sample Institutional Questions Asked About St. John's AME Church Appendix C: Notes on Interviewees Appendix D: Interview Excerpts from Two Recorded Interviews, Barbara Smith and Theodore Williamson Appendix E: Notable Leaders Who Impacted Black Niagaran History Notes Bibliography Index

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Author Information

Michael B. Boston is Associate Professor of African and African American Studies at the College at Brockport, State University of New York. He is the author of The Business Strategy of Booker T. Washington: Its Development and Implementation and Dr. Skinner's Remarkable School for Colored Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Children 1857–1860.

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