African Americans in Memphis (TN)

by Lovelle Jenkins, Earnestine

• ISBN13: 9780738567501
• ISBN10: 0738567507
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-06-01
• Publisher: Arcadia Pub

Summary

Memphis has been an important city for African Americans in the South since the Civil War. They migrated from within Tennessee and from surrounding states to the urban crossroads in large numbers after emancipation, seeking freedom from the oppressive race relations of the rural South. Images of America: African Americans in Memphis chronicles this regional experience from the 19th century to the 1950s. Historic black Memphians were railroad men, bricklayers, chauffeurs, dressmakers, headwaiters, and beauticians, as well as businessmen, teachers, principals, barbers, preachers, musicians, nurses, doctors, Republican leaders, and Pullman car porters. During the Jim Crow era, they established social, political, economic, and educational institutions that sustained their communities in one of the most rigidly segregated cities in America. The dynamic growth and change of the post–World War II South set the stage for a new, authentic, black urban culture defined by Memphis gospel, blues, and rhythm and blues music; black radio; black newspapers; and religious pageants.

Author Biography

Author Earnestine Lovelle Jenkins is an associate professor of art history at the University of Memphis. Her most recent book is A Kingly Craft: Art and Leadership in Ethiopia, which was published by the University Press of America in 2008. The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. 6
Introduction	p. 7
Memphis Pioneers: Slaves, Free People, and Migrants	p. 9
Memphis Renaissance: The Early 20th Century	p. 31
Legacy: The Hooks Brothers of Memphis	p. 45
Memphis: The Musical City Is Born	p. 55
Education: A Struggle to Learn	p. 63
War, Race, and Civil Rights: The 1940s and 1950s	p. 69
It's Rhythm and Blues: Black Popular Culture	p. 77
Pride of Place: Neighborhoods, Communities, and Social Life	p. 85
Bibliography	p. 127
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