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Black Davenport - An Overview

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The African American history of Davenport, IA is a rich one that is uniquely Midwestern. And, though Davenport is the focus, it should be noted that the Metro area straddles the Mississippi River and a state line in a quintet of cities called -- oddly enough -- the Quad Cities.

Iowa has one of the lowest percentages of African American population in the U.S., but it butts up against Illinois, which has one of the highest. Both states benefited greatly from the Great Black Migration - a time roughly coincident with the Jazz Age - during which millions of African Americans left the South for the North. (2)

According to John D. Baskerville of the University Northern Iowa: "The years between 1910 and 1920 marked the beginning of a major shift of the African-American population within the United States. The nation's African-American population shifted away from underdeveloped rural areas in the South to industrial centers in the cities, particularly in the North and the West.

"It has been estimated that nearly 500,000 to a million African American men, women and children 'left the South before, during, and shortly after the first World War, settling in urban areas such as New York, Chicago, Detroit and other areas in the North and Midwest. For example, Chicago's African American population increased from 44,000 to 110,000 during this period. (Franklin and Moss 1994) Because of this mass movement of the African-American population, this phenomenon has been commonly refer to as the "Great Black Migration.""

These masses were looking for better futures for themselves and their families. The more industrialized and arguably less racist North offered jobs in factories that would pay living wages and allow higher standards of living.

Davenport, a German town located in a river valley with some of the most fertile soil in the world, was the largest of the five cities making a collective living with manufacturing related to farming. Farm equipment manufacturers such J.I. Case, John Deere, Caterpillar, Alcoa and others were some of the biggest employers in the area. {hangon}

African American Notables from Davenport, Iowa or Quad Cities Area

1. Three-time Super Bowl Champion Roger Craig (3)

2. Middleweight Boxing Champ Michael Nunn

3. Professional Football Player Jamie Williams

4. Guitarist for rock group The Time Jesse Johnson

5. Professional Basketball Player Acie Earl

6. Professional Basketball Player Ricky Davis

7. Super Middleweight Boxing Champ Antwon Echols

Schools & Neighborhoods

Because the African American population was segregated in certain neighborhoods, "mostly below the hill," certain schools increased their black populations dramatically. Among these were Lincoln Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, JB Young Jr. High School, Sudlow Junior High School and Central High School.

Harrion and Brady proved to be East-West racial dividing lines, while Locust Street served as the North-South divider. Few families lived far from this grid. Schools that were north of Locust, such as Williams or Wood Junior High Schools were almost exclusively white and more affluent. A pocket of African Americans were concentrated on the east side of Davenport -- neighborhoods like Cork Hill, while another was located on the west near Marquette Street in the shadow of the majestic Jefferson Elementary School building.

Within the school system during the 60s and 70s, the administrators had apparently instituted a policy whereby students who came from Mississipi were automatically held back a grade. Because of this policy and the resultant age differece, many of those elementary school children were more developed and often physically larger than the transplants from Midwestern states or the native Davenporters.

Davenport's Non-Celebrity Notables

The community bustled in the 60s and 70s with the glow of the Civil Rights Movement. People with colorful characters and, often, colorful nicknames populated an area that thrived and grew.

1. Miss Claudine (Claudine Jackson) - Owner of the Soul Kitchen on Harrison Street - a community gathering place and a place where the down-on-their luck could find a free meal.

2. Fox - Owner of Fox' Tavern on Harrison Street.

3. Miss Wilma - Wife of Fox and co-owner of Fox's Tavern.

4. Jewell Houston - Gun-toting proprietor of Jewell's Pool Hall, a very popular after-hours joint on Harrison Street.

5. Ragan's Market - A Jewish owned grocery store on Harrison St.

6. Harvey - A man who drove extremely slowly in a his vintage 1950s car.

7. Titus Burrage - A handyman who claimed to have been a dance partner of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. {hangon}

8. Dempsey Miller - Owner of the tavern, Dempsey's, on Marquette St.

Fabulous Nicknames in the Davenport Community

1. Sunny - short, very dark, unsmiling gentleman

2. Choo-Choo

3. Suave

4. Duck

5. Pretty Shirt

6. Dog Man

7. Pookie

8. Mookie

9. Hog-Dog

10. Tooey

11. Miss Olay

12. Aint Martha

14. Junebug

Where We Came From

1. Quincy, IL 2. Meridian, MS

Our Churches

1. Bethel AME

1. http://www.upress.state.ms.us/books/67 2. http://ci.coe.uni.edu/facstaff/zeitz/museum/migrate.html 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/Roger_Craig_(American_football)

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