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A new trend on TikTok is bringing renewed awareness to Black travelers regarding modern-day sundown towns, which historically prohibited African Americans from being in predominately white cities past dark.
Using the hashtag #sundowntown, users across Tiktoks are sharing their experiences and warning the Black community of the dangers of passing through certain American cities that have continued to keep the racist tradition alive.
Sundown towns across the nations first emerged after slavery was abolished to keep African Americans and other non-white races out of their bounds. These cities would employ tactics not only to keep Black people from living in the area but to also stop them from even passing through, especially at night.
Caught after dark in these predominately white towns, Black Americans would face violence, harassment, and even death.
Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 led to many sundown towns eradicating their practices, the racist tradition still lingers in cities across the U.S. as told by Black TikTokers.
In one instance, a Black truck driver shared his experience in Vidor, Texas. During his time in a "2022 sundown town," he witnessed imagery of a Black man wrapped in a Confederate flag hanging from a tree and was warned to leave the area because it was near nightfall.
Others have taken to the social media platform to spread the history and warning signs of sundown towns.
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