After the end of the Civil War (during and following the reconstruction period), many African Americans either stayed in the south or headed out west to start their own small towns. These towns actually flourished because Blacks recycled their own dollars within their own communities. Yet in many cases, these towns were eventually pillaged by marauding Whites. Since there was no prosecution of Whites for killing and robbing African Americans this could be done with virtual impunity.

African Americans did enjoy success before integration. In fact, by 1900, the number of African-American businesses nationally, totaled 40,000, including the Greenfield Bus Body Company, which manufactured automobiles, and a hotel in New York City valued at $75,000. By 1908, we had 55 privately owned banks. By 1912, there were two millionaires, Madam C.J. Walker (hair care) and R. R. Church (real estate).

           By 1923, Tulsa, Oklahoma was home to The Black Wall Street, an African American community of 11,000. Which featured nine hotels, nineteen restaurants and thirty-one grocery stores and meat markets, ten medical doctors, six lawyers, and five real estate and loan insurance agencies, complete with five private planes.

As of this writing, there are 4 Black Billionaires in the US, Bob Johnson (Founder of BET), Dr. Sheila Crump Johnson (Co-Founder of BET), Oprah Winfrey (the Oprah Winfrey show, ‘O’ magazine, etc.) and Michael Lee Chin (built AIC into a leading mutual fund company) as well as many many Black multimillionaires!

Reference links:

Wikipedia.org – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicodemus%2C_Kansas

www.theblackgendergap.com

2 Great Movies that you have to watch – (1) Rosewood (starring Ving Rhames) 
                                                               (2) Posse (starring Mario Van Peebles)

                   
                      This Myth has been BUSTED!