BLACK HISTORY
How Three Historic Black Towns Were Destroyed by Racism and Greed
Morrisonville, Reveilletown, and Sunrise were wiped off the map
Learning black history can sometimes feel like turning on a light in a dark room. There’s a sense of enlightenment from learning about people, places, and events hidden behind lock and key. For instance, many students are unaware of the history of freedmen’s towns. After chattel slavery ended, the formerly enslaved established towns throughout the United States with the hope of living their lives in peace. And the story of what happened to these towns often becomes hidden history. For instance, Morrisonville, Reveilletown, and Sunrise were all towns founded by formally enslaved people in Louisiana, yet none still stand today. How did this happen?
Morrisonville, Louisiana
In the days after the Civil War, white domestic terrorism was a common phenomenon throughout the South. Groups like the Ku Klux Klan would burn churches, schools, and businesses owned by Black people. However, not every predominately Black town was destroyed through direct violence, as during the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. Some became victims of white corporate greed. For instance, Morrisonville, Louisiana, a small town in Iberville Parish, was…
