Strangers in the Land of Paradise: Creation of African American Community in Buffalo (Blacks in the Diaspora) [Hardcover]

Lillian Serece Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1999 | Series: Blacks in the Diaspora

This text examines the creation of an African American community as a distinct cultural entity. It delineates values and institutions that the black migrant population brought with it from the south, as well as those that evolved as a result of their interactions with blacks native to the city and the city itself. Through and examination of work, family, community organisations, and political actions, the author explores the process by which the migrants adapted to their new environment. The lives of African Americans in Buffalo from 1900-1940 reveal much about race, class, and gender in the development of urban communities. Black migrant workers transformed the landscape by their mere presence, but for the most part they could no rise beyond the lowest entry level positions. For African American women the occupational structure was even more restricted, however eventually both men and women increased their earning power and that over time improved their lives and that of their loved ones. Migration also made more visible the class differences in the African American community. With the movement of the black southerners to Buffalo, African Americans experienced greater restrictions on their freedom. This became a source of friction because "old" black Buffalo families often perceived the newcomers and their "country ways" to be the cause of these indignities. Nevertheless, racial solidarity and common needs soon smoothed over these differences. Despite upheavals arising from migration, and an increase in both racial prejudice and social problems, the black migrant population brought with it from the south the strength and vitality with which to establish viable communities in the north.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The small but long-lived African American community of Buffalo, New York, grew from free blacks and runaway slaves in the years before the Civil War and then increased in number with migrants from the rural South with the coming of WW I. This standard background serves as the basis for Williams's solid and scholarly exploration of how newer migrants coming to benefit from industrialization collided with the earlier settlers. There was at once a sense of responsibility to look after and yet also keep a distance from uncultured and rustic kinsmen. This finely nuanced study evokes class and status divisions within the African American neighborhoods while presenting readers with the omnipresent role of the black church as a cohesive force among the divisive elements tearing at the community. Black clergy and the social elite served an important leadership role in preserving a sense of dignity and fighting for civil rights, despite the fact that the same leadership might split on whether or not to endorse Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Williams brings a fine balance to her work, revealing a group composed of people whose lives, institutions, and struggle for acceptance, achievement, and advancement mirrored the struggles of so many others. Upper-division undergraduates and above." —J. Kleiman, University of Wisconsin Colleges, 2000jan CHOICE.

(J. Kleiman, University of Wisconsin Colleges, 2000jan CHOICE. ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Lillian Serece Williams is an Associate Professor of History in the Women's Studies Department and Associate Director of the Institute for Research on Women at the University of Albany, the State University of New York. She is editor of Records of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, 1895 1992, associate editor of Black Women in United States History, and author of A Bridge to the Future: The History of Diversity in Girl Scouting.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253335523
• ISBN-13: 978-0253335524
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,290,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Blend of Scholarship and Humanity, March 4, 2000

By 

Arlene Reed-Delaney, M. D. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strangers in the Land of Paradise: Creation of African American Community in Buffalo (Blacks in the Diaspora) (Hardcover)

"Strangers in the Land of Paradise" by Lillian Serece Williams is a brilliantly written book about the creation of an African American community in Buffalo, New York from 1900-1940. Illuminating with new information, pictures and graphs, it answers many questions about the daily life experiences of a group of Americans adjusting to political and economic changes. The family support system that Williams delineated in this turn-of-the-century community is one of those strengths that too often are overlooked in contemporary literature on African Americans. Yet these are important strengths that are present in contemporary African American communities across the nation and upon which I frequently draw to treat some of my patients.

This timely, outstanding blend of scholarship and humanity places this work in the category of a genuine classic. The book is a "must" for every serious scholar of American history. "No Shame in my Game" by Katherine Neuman would be a wonderful contemporary companion.