All over the U.S., all-black towns helped to shape the history of this country. Many African-Americans escaped to these towns after the Civil War to try to break free from racism. Now, some are disappearing.
A new documentary Struggle and Hope by Reno Filmmaker Kari Barber explores these relatively unknown towns and the people who still live in them. To learn more, Reno Public Radio's Anh Gray interviewed Barber on the film, which is currently in post-production.
There are many obstacles these towns face today, including economic and social challenges similar to what other small communities in rural America are up against. Ultimately, if a town cannot find sustainable sources of income, it'll start to dissolve.
"There are certain things that start happening," Barber explains. "The town will lose a post office, and then it will lose its zip code. It slowly just kind of starts to disappear."
As these towns start fading away, Barber points to a huge amount of historical information that's being lost.
"Largely, the history has not been preserved," she says. "There are photographs in people's attics. There are incredibly old buildings that are just crumbling. There's, right now, nobody helping to preserve from outside the towns."
In order to tell the stories of these towns and profile some of their most fascinating community members, Barber had to gain their trust, which wasn't always easy. Take a listen to the special interview clip below to hear how she overcame this challenge:
