Curfew? Or a Warning?
Several months before the Coronavirus pandemic hit, I was in the office having casual conversations with my team. It was around February which is usually the time most of us long for warmer temperatures. Talks of vacation plans to the beach started the conversation and eventually it grew into our summer vacation memories as children. We reminisced on the simplicity of life and how our kids today have consumed themselves with technology instead of physical activity. Organically we went around in a circle sharing our favorite moments from summer and despite our differences in age, gender, race, and religion, I saw constant similarities in experiences. Until…I mentioned the fear of coming home after the, “street lights.”
Without noticing the puzzled look on many faces, I laughed as I gave my best impression of transforming into Usain Bolt the moment we saw the street lights flicker. Similar to that of a comedian who’s bombing on stage I could tell a change of moods so I asked the question, “Y’all remember the streetlights rule…Right?” They didn’t. “What’s that?”
Streetlights during the times of outside play was used as a measure of time. As the sun begins to set, the lights are programmed to turn on to illuminate the streets. This is also an indicator that the day has ended and night has begun. Back in those days we didn’t have cell phones and most of us didn’t carry a watch, so the street lights provided us time. Thinking back to my youth, I never questioned why this rule was so universal to Black America. When you consider dinner, bedtime, and crime, I believe we subconsciously understood the purpose of this curfew, but if all of that made sense why was I the only one with this experience in my office?
Was this just a “black,” thing? I understand all of our cultural differences, but damn streetlights are everywhere! My generation and those before experienced this curfew so why did it seem like foreign language to those who were non black? Didn’t they eat dinner? Didn’t they prepare for bedtime? Crime was everywhere, so why the disconnect?
Who knows? But I have my own theory. It started a couple weeks ago during the premier of HBO’s Lovecraft Country and it’s first episode, “Sundown Towns.” Set in the 1950s, the main characters embark on a road trip from Chicago to the fictional town of Ardham, Mass. During the trip they encounter a few racist towns including that of a Sundown Town or county.
Sundown Towns were all white cities or counties spread throughout each state in America. These towns didn’t welcome blacks or people of color once the sun went down. If you were caught in these towns after dark, their residents and even law enforcement would either beat you to a pulp or worst-KILL YOU. Unfortunately this very despicable act of terrorism comes at no surprise to Black Americans, who have been victims and targets of this type of terror and intimidation.
During those years and before, it didn’t really matter if the town was labeled as a Sundown Town, because being black meant you were in danger 24 hours of the day. Once the sun set, the possibility of harassment or lynchings increased. So like all other atrocities directed our way, we adapted purely for survival.No direct eye contact OR ELSE! No back talk OR ELSE! No voter rights talk OR ELSE! Don’t let us catch you after dark OR ELSE! These are just some of the fears we faced and for our own protection I believe we conditioned ourselves to come home before the sun set OR before the street lights came on.
It’s quite possible that no one in my office could relate to me back in February because they’ve never experienced a fear of being harmed solely for the color of their skin. In their world coming in before dark meant to eat dinner and prepare for bed, but it’s possible that for myself and other blacks, we had a deep rooted fear of something much worst.