Once a thriving community, the area known as Gadsden's Southside had many businesses that local African American families depended on: churches, cafes, barbershops, grocery stores, laundries, insurance companies, a theatre, offices, brick masons, and more. About 352 families lived there, many of them owning their homes and land. There were also a large number of homes that were former dwellings of enslaved people, with some having fallen into disrepair.
But in 1955 the city and the Greater Gadsden Housing Authority wanted to raise the entire neighborhood, which was another act of systemic racism. A group of local community members formed a committee and with the help of a lawyer a case was made that went all the way to the Supreme Court. Tragically, they lost the case and many people physically relocated their homes. An entire African American community, once thriving, was wiped away.
Watch this video to learn more.
Read the court case here.
Photo Credit: Gadsden Reads;Teacher Resources
