I grew up in Waverly, a small town in south-central Ohio. Waverly is overwhelmingly White, and not by accident. The village was a “Sundown Town” for much of its history, well into the twentieth century. This meant that Black people were not allowed to be in public past dark and certainly could not live within town limits. This racist legacy lingers on today in the form of a lack of diversity (over 96% White) and an uneasy feeling for many people of color. As people of color weren’t permitted to live in Waverly (or even be on the street past dark), a community with a Black majority was founded about five miles east. This community, East Jackson, lies on the other side of the Scioto River, among the steep Appalachian foothills of eastern Pike County. It has a unique history, founded by individuals unwanted in other communities, not because of their deeds but because of their race.
Many men and women
of color moved (by choice or by force) to East Jackson. Residents moving to the
area were in many cases runaway slaves, but also free Black men and women. The
community became a haven for people of African or mixed-race heritage seeking
to live free from oppression. Because of
the lack of acceptance in other nearby communities, East Jackson became
self-sufficient, close-knit, and isolated.
Over the years, white residents also began moving to the area, beginning
a long history of interracial marriages.
Eventually, the original Black population became increasingly more white
in appearance. This leads to the present day, where residents face questions
regarding their identity. “As Black
heritage thinned out, Black identity did not (Rosenberg, 2019),” creating a
unique place in terms of race.
Photo: The Guardian, 2019
While East Jackson is unique, some similarities can be drawn to Chinatown. In her article, Kay Anderson writes of the origins of Chinatown. Its origins are based in segregation on the basis of race or ethnicity (Anderson, 1987). The origins of East Jackson are similar; however, most Chinatown neighborhoods are located within urban areas and near the center of activity of the city. East Jackson is rural and isolated, designed to be segregated from Waverly and other nearby places. Like Chinatown, East Jackson represents a unique overlap of place and race. It is a place that has not only been shaped by race, but also one that is characterized it.
In Kwame Anthony Appiah’s article, he writes about some of the history of racial categorization in the US. He compares the races of White and Black to twins, stating that these constructs were born at the same time. The sole function of racial categorization in the US was used (and has since been used) to simplify the complex identities of individuals to their physical characteristics (Appiah, 2020). The people of East Jackson have in many cases found themselves in opposition to the idea that their race is based upon their physical characteristics, but rather upon their family heritage and to others, their street address. Many residents of the community appear White, having blonde or red hair and light skin, but are categorized as Black because of their last name or simply because they live in East Jackson. Others choose to identify as such to honor their heritage. While racial categorization may have been intended to simplify complex issues, it has exaggerated these same issues in this small community, according to WNYC’s “State of the Re:Union.” Identity can differ among family members, with some identifying as White and some as Black. This can create strife within the family (WNYC, 2019). This complex fabric is one that is unlike any other town or community I have heard of.
East
Jackson, Ohio is a unique place where the lines of race and identity have been
blurred. This is the result of
ethnicity-based segregation, discrimination, and racism. In many cases, the people of this community
have been forced into identity categories that they do not feel they belong
in. In other cases, residents have made
identity choices that they feel best reflect them, even if not their
appearance. As someone from the town
that has caused pain to the residents of East Jackson, I can only advise my
fellow community members to respect the identity of all and to learn a little
about the history of the area. With
respect and education, maybe the two communities can grow closer together and
work on problems facing them both.
References
Appiah, Kwame Anthony. 2020. “I’m Jewish and I Don’t Identify as White: Why Must I Check that Box?” Download “I’m Jewish and I Don’t Identify as White: Why Must I Check that Box?” The New York Times, October 13, 2020.
Anderson, Kay J. 1987. “The Idea of Chinatown: The Power of Place and Institutionalized Practice in the Making of a Racial Category Download The Idea of Chinatown: The Power of Place and Institutionalized Practice in the Making of a Racial Category.” Annals of the American Geographers 77(4): 580-598.
Rosenberg, M. (2019, July 25). Race in East
Jackson, Ohio: ‘A place as white as we wish to be’ in Appalachia’s black and
white divide. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/25/race-east-jackson-ohio-appalachia-white-black
WNYC. (2014, March 31). State of the reunion:
Pike County, Ohio - As black as we wish to be [Audio transcript]. WNYC
Studios. https://www.wnyc.org/story/260849-state-of-the-reunion-pike-county-ohio-as-black-as-we-wish-to-be?tab=transcript
I think Ian's photo may have linked to a really interesting video on this topic. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=632618797227839
ReplyDeleteThank you for helping me get this posted!
ReplyDeleteHi Ian,
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting article! I also watched the video that Risa put in the comments, which was also helpful. I think its really interesting how communities like those of East Jackson show that our conception of race is truly just a social construct that can easily be contradicted. Also, Roberta's insistence that she is black because she has "the black blood" in her, was interesting to me because it reminds me of the "One Drop" rule. This rule that was enshrined into law in many American states after the civil war classifies any person with at least 1/18th (or even 1/4th in some states!) of Black heritage as a fully Black person (Source 1). However, nowadays with those types of laws gone, many people with heritage from a vast amount of cultures can select multiple races or even the term "mixed-race" for medical and government records. This makes me wonder why Roberta's daughter didn't choose this label for herself and instead chose "White." I wonder if this has to do with going to the Waverly school district and thus being integrated with that community with a deep history of racism. I have a feeling if she grew up in a different community with a lot of diverse races, the term "mixed-race" or another similar label would have come up.
Additionally, I also find it confusing why Roberta simply calls herself black when her mother was half black and half "Turk". Similar laws to the One Drop rule also determine who should be labelled as Native American, and to my understanding if there is even a very small amount of that type of blood in Roberta, shouldn't she also say she is native? I have heard that many Native American communities actually require a blood quantum for an individual to claim that identity officially (Source 2). Because Native Americans are historically entitled to social services and other promises, (as promised by White colonizers when they signed treaties with these indigenous communities), the US and Canadian government impose this rule to ensure people receiving these services actually deserve them. Simply put, maybe Roberta doesn't identify as Turk because, according to US and Canadian law, after a few generations of interracial marriage, a person's Native American status diminishes while ones Black American status remains the same?
Sources:
1. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/one-drop-rule-5365/#:~:text=North%20America's%20first%20blood%2Dfraction,%2Dfourth%20or%20one%2Deighth.
2. https://nativegov.org/resources/blood-quantum-and-sovereignty-a-guide/#:~:text=Blood%20quantum%20is%20a%20concept,3%E2%81%848%20blood%20quantum.