In a reversal, more blacks moving back to South

[WestVirginiaRebel]

TBO.com:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Great Migration, the 60-year escape from segregation and racism that brought American blacks to the North, has reversed course. Better jobs and quality of life in the South are beckoning, as is the lure of something more intangible - a sense of home.

"It's no coincidence that the shift is happening as we encounter economic turmoil that is being felt disproportionately among blacks, such as mortgage foreclosures, loss of jobs and economic devastation in major Northern hubs," said Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP's Washington bureau. "With major changes and less racial devastation in the South, people are finding their way back."

The nation's black population grew by roughly 1.7 million over the last decade. About 75 percent of that growth occurred in the South - primarily metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami and Charlotte, N.C. That's up from 65 percent in the 1990s, according to the latest census estimates. The gains came primarily at the expense of Northern metro areas such as New York and Chicago, which posted their first declines in black population since at least 1980.

Illinois had its first decline in the black population in the state's history, with the number of African-Americans decreasing by 1.3 percent since 2000, according to official 2010 census figures released Tuesday.

In all, about 57 percent of U.S. blacks now live in the South, a jump from the 53 percent share in the 1970s, according to an analysis of census data by William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution. It was the surest sign yet of a sustained reverse migration to the South following the exodus of millions of blacks to the Midwest, Northeast and West in the Great Migration from 1910 to 1970.

"The Great Migration of millions of disenfranchised blacks from the South to Northern cities has now completely turned around," Frey said. "Blacks now look to states like Georgia, Texas and North Carolina as the places with the most promise in the 21st century - a prospect that would have been unimaginable a generation ago."
________

Like many Americans, they know where the jobs and lower taxes are.

[Saltbag]

"It's no coincidence that the shift is happening as we encounter economic turmoil that is being felt disproportionately among blacks, such as mortgage foreclosures, loss of jobs and economic devastation in major Northern hubs," said Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP's Washington bureau. "With major changes and less racial devastation in the South, people are finding their way back."

 

I've survived 5 rounds of layoffs in the last decade, and I don't recall a "black layoff" that disproportionately sent African Americans to the curb. I don't live in Illinois, though.

 

If I were a black conservative, I would be offended by this comment by Shelton (oh wait,

). Let's go out on a limb, and like WVR said, blacks are looking for opportunity by going where the jobs are. Maybe they're pursuing opportunity, rather than fleeing their constant victimization "felt disproportionately among blacks." If they weren't seeking opportunity, they would just camp out on welfare that's been extended until the Earth crashes into the Sun. But hey, maybe I have more faith than the NAACP in supporting the will and competence of individual minorities that want to seize the American Dream, or at least a more vested interest.

[clearvision]

There's two constants in the universe that I've learned since I've broached the age of 40. Men grow less hair on their head and more hair everywhere else as they grow older,

 

Off topic, but since you mentioned it.... I believe this is why we are made to lose our vision at the same rate, you don't notice all those random hairs as much...

Edited February 17, 2011 by clearvision
Guess I should have waited the 1minute for final edits.....HA

[Saltbag]

There's two constants in the universe that I've learned since I've broached the age of 40. Men grow less hair on their head and more hair everywhere else as they grow older,

 

Off topic, but since you mentioned it.... I believe this is why we are made to lose our vision at the same rate, you don't notice all those random hairs as much...

 

 

Haha, I edited that out of my response, but not as fast as you caught it. I figured at some point I should drop below 100% of my posts having a snarky comment.

[clearvision]

Snark is a TRR trademark.

[Rheo]

There's two constants in the universe that I've learned since I've broached the age of 40. Men grow less hair on their head and more hair everywhere else as they grow older,

 

Off topic, but since you mentioned it.... I believe this is why we are made to lose our vision at the same rate, you don't notice all those random hairs as much...

 

 

Haha, I edited that out of my response, but not as fast as you caught it. I figured at some point I should drop below 100% of my posts having a snarky comment.

NOOOO! We love snark.

[Saltbag]

LOL, OKay, I'll keep being snarky.

 

But I was trying to make a point... and I was being pretty sarcastic, anyway.

[Evad]

Guess they're trying to escape the racism.

[Saltbag]

Well, I'll put my opinion plainly. The usefulness of the NAACP has long since passed, and is now a detriment to their original cause and society in general.

 

In my opinion, this has nothing to do with their specific cause, but the evolution of causes. I equate the NAACP to OSHA, EPA, unions in general, etc. There was a time and place when they were truly needed. They built their organization. They accomplished their objectives. Once they accomplished their objectives, they had an organization of people that refused to be dissolved, and they created issues to justify their perpetuation. To perpetuate, they not only created harm to their constituents, but harm to society at large.

 

Like OSHA and the EPA ... the US was once a country where we had great industry, but little regard for the environment or the life of the workers. That changed and improved with some level of regulation without completely compromising our industrial strength. But then, we built an organization, an entity, that if they couldn't justify their existence by further regulating, they would be dissolved. There's a breaking point of doing more harm than good, but the invested people become either completely disconnected by their saturation in their ideal or completely selfish in perpetuating their gravy train. If you get funded by government, that's one big gravy train. Now, due to environmental and safety regulations that are so far over the top, U.S. industry is no longer competitive in a global economy with countries with less restrictions. I work in industry, and I'm watching U.S factories closing down and moving overseas.

 

The NAACP is the same, if not worse. All I see from the NAACP is a constant message that racism exists, and a sense that has moved from equality to entitlement. When you see a black conservative step up, their message is either a contradiction to the NAACP or a message for them to "please, stop." Has racism been completely obliterated? Of course not. But I think we're past the point where regulation will do more good than harm.