SHERRY CANNON

Between the 18th and 20th centuries more than 1,200 Black settlement, enclaves, and towns were established in the United States. According to the Historic Black Towns and Settlement Alliance, there are 13 historical all-Black towns in existence today.

The state of Oklahoma had the largest number of historical all-Black towns. These settlements were inextricably tied to the Trail of Tears, due to the number of Black people enslaved by the tribes, who made the journey from the Southeastern part of the country to what was called Indian Territory.

After the Civil War, the former enslaved Black people of the five major tribes settled together for protection and economic security, founding farming communities. Between 1865-1920 African Americans created more than 50 all-Black towns throughout Indian Territory.

Shortly after Oklahoma was awarded statehood in 1907, the state legislature passed a series of statues enforcing racial segregation that incited violence. Because of the racism, many African Americans migrated West and to Mexico and Canada. Later, the Great Depression took its toll on all-Black farming towns, forcing many of their residents to find work elsewhere. As a result, many towns could not survive.

Today, what is referred to as majority-Black cities are on the rise. They are places like Detroit, Baltimore, and Memphis, as well as smaller suburban communities like Ferguson, Mo. Brookings.edu notes that the 1970 census numbered majority-Black cities at 460, the latest census estimates from 2017 state there are now 1,262 majority-Black cities, many the result of White flight.

While there is definite White flight occurring, there is an increase of African American migration to many of the larger majority-Black cities, especially in the South. One such majority-Black town is Mason, Tenn., which is a town of about 1,200 people with a 71% Black population. Mason has a 153-year-old charter, and its citizenship includes descendants of enslaved African Americans.

Recently, Mason made national news when the state comptroller, Jason Mumpower, took over the town’s finances after the leaders of Mason refused to surrender their charter. Mumpower attempted to bring Mason under the authority of the majority-White Tipton County government.

The leaders of Mason believed that this unprecedented move by the state comptroller had everything to do with a multi-billion-dollar electric truck and battery plant that Ford Motor Company was erecting outside of Mason. The Blue Oval City manufacturing plant is scheduled to open in 2025, generating 27,000 new jobs and $22 million annually in state taxes.

For more than a century, Mason was led by White elected officials. In 2011, the Mason town clerk pleaded guilty to embezzling $100,000 in taxpayer funds, and the Public Works Superintendent was indicted by a Grand Jury in 2016 after it was uncovered that he had paid himself an extra $600,000 between 2007-2015.

The city officials — all White — resigned in 2016 after the allegation of fraud and mismanagement was made. Today, the mayor and five of the six aldermen are Black. This new leadership inherited a half-million dollars of indebtedness.

When the town leaders refused to surrender the town’s charter, Mumpower demanded the town seek approval from the state for spending over $100. The town’s leadership, with the help of the NAACP, filed a lawsuit challenging this requirement.

Attorney Van Turner Jr., who represented the town of Mason in the lawsuit, said the state’s action was setting the town up to fail. It was also clear that the state was treating the Black leadership of Mason differently than they had treated the White administrators, who had been struggling with the town’s finances for the past 20 years.

Mumpower claimed there was no bias in his decision-making. However, the state of Tennessee and Mason were able to broker a deal, and the lawsuit was dismissed. The city of Mason is still under state oversight. It is required to notify the state of any non-payroll expenditures over $1000 and must file monthly reports and make monthly payments on what the town owes the Water and Sewer Fund. The leadership’s goal is to be out of state control by August.

Derrick Johnson, President & CEO of the NAACP, said, “Far too long, we’ve seen highways going through our cities, in our communities, or hostile takeovers by states.”

There is an intentionality among leadership of majority-Black cities to retain autonomy and sovereignty of their communities, and they are demanding the respect they deserve!