A sundown town was a municipality, neighborhood, or county in the United States that practiced racial segregation by excluding non-white people, especially African Americans, from remaining in the town after sundown. These towns were overwhelmingly white by deliberate action, using a combination of discriminatory local laws, intimidation, threats, and violence to enforce this exclusion. The term "sundown town" originated from signs posted at town limits warning Black people not to be in the town after sunset, such as “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on You in [Town Name].”
Sundown towns were most prevalent from the late 19th century, after the Reconstruction era, until the mid-20th century, particularly before the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which legally prohibited such racial discrimination in housing and public accommodations. Enforcement methods included exclusionary housing covenants, police harassment, violent threats like cross burnings or lynchings, and social ostracism. Although sundown laws are now illegal, some communities still exhibit related discriminatory practices.
Sundown towns were not limited to African Americans; other minority groups such as Chinese Americans, Native Americans, Jewish Americans, and Mexican Americans were also excluded in some places. The legacy of sundown towns continues to affect racial dynamics in many communities today.
In summary, a sundown town is an all-white community that historically excluded minorities through formal and informal means, often enforced by intimidation and violence, with the explicit or implicit rule that people of color must leave by sundown.
