Remembering New Mexico's First Successful Black Community, Blackdom - Newsonyx
Newsonyx
  • NEWS
  • POLITICS
  • BUSINESS
  • SPORTS
  • LIFESTYLE
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
Newsonyx
  • NEWS
  • POLITICS
  • BUSINESS
  • SPORTS
  • LIFESTYLE
No Result
View All Result
Newsonyx
No Result
View All Result
Home Black History

Remembering New Mexico’s First Successful Black Community, Blackdom

The community was formally established in 1903.

Amber AlexanderbyAmber Alexander
July 12, 2022
in Black History
successful Black African American community Blackdom New Mexico

Source: National Park Service

27
SHARES
110
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email

News Onyx remembers New Mexico’s first thriving Black community, Blackdom, formally established in the early 1900s.

According to the National Park Service, Blackdom was founded in 1901 and incorporated by thirteen African Americans two years later in 1903. Located 15 miles south of Roswell, it reportedly became the most important Black homesteader colony in New Mexico.

RELATED POSTS

Zaila Avant-Garde: From Spelling Bee Champ To Author Extraordinaire

Mississippi Hotel That Once Kept Martin Luther King Jr. Safe During Segregation, Got Demolished

The group of trailblazing African Americans who founded Blackdom formed the Blackdom Townsite Company with $10,000 in combined assets and named homesteader Francis “Frank” Marion Boyer as their president. Frank was a Morehouse College and Fisk University graduate who learned about homesteading during his undergraduate career. He also became a teacher in Georgia post-graduation.

Boyer’s father, a former Buffalo Soldier during the Mexican-American war, encouraged him to move west after the Klu Klux Klan threatened his life. Following the relocation, he initiated the creation of the Blackdom Townsite Company with the mission of creating a self-sustaining Black community that wouldn’t have to deal with racism in the south. By 1908, Blackdom had a population of 300 people, several small businesses and schools, a post office, a church, and a local newspaper. Boyer, his college-educated wife Ella Louise McGruder, and their four children all resided there and lived a good life.

Education was a huge deal in the community, as Boyer and McGruder enforced education in the town and made sure that its children learned Black history in the local school as a form of empowerment.

Over time, African American families from other states, including Texas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma, Ohio, reportedly migrated to Blackdom after hearing great things about the flourishing community.

Unfortunately, Blackdom died out by the 1920s due to harvest failure and other disasters, as the town didn’t survive the Great Depression. However, it hasn’t been forgotten.

In January, the Albuquerque Museum launched a high-tech mobile exhibit about the former Black community called “Facing the Rising Sun: The Journey of African American Homesteaders in New Mexico, Vision, Belief, and Sovereign Ownership.”

“This exhibit shares a critical chapter in that history, a history of perseverance, ingenuity, and deep roots in New Mexico,” Albuquerque’s Mayor Tim Keller said.

Tags: Black CommunityBlackdomhistorical communityNew Mexico
Share10Tweet7Send

Related Posts

author, book, win, success, spelling, bee, Zaila, Avant-garde,

Zaila Avant-Garde: From Spelling Bee Champ To Author Extraordinaire

byAziah Kamari
May 23, 2023
0

Meet Zaila Avant-garde, the remarkable teenager who is rewriting the rules of success. At just 15 years old, Zaila has...

Dr. Martin Luther King E.F. Young Hotel Mississippi

Mississippi Hotel That Once Kept Martin Luther King Jr. Safe During Segregation, Got Demolished

byChristian Spencer
April 29, 2023
0

It was the end of an era for the E.F. Young Jr. Hotel, a now-demolished Mississippi hotel that hosted several...

New York, apology, slavery, funds, reparations, transatlantic, slave trade, role, Episcopal Diocese of New York, church

The Episcopal Diocese of New York Apologizes For Its Role In The Transatlantic Slave Trade

byTaylor Berry
April 3, 2023
0

A church in New York is going above and beyond to atone for its role in the transatlantic slave trade....

Biden, Davis, Medal of Honor, Vietnam

Retired Black Vietnam War Veteran Finally Awarded Medal Of Honor After 60 Years

byMary Symone
March 5, 2023
0

Retired Vietnam War Colonel Paris Davis, hailed as one of the first Black officers to lead a special forces team...

A 17-year-old teen, Cadet Second Lieutenant Kaheem Bailey-Taylor, recently earned the highest honor in the U.S. Army’s JROTC.

A 17-Year-Old’s Fearless Act Earns Him Highest Honor In U.S. Army’s JROTC Program

byAmber Alexander
January 13, 2023
0

Kaheem recently earned a Medal Of Heroism after he saved a friend’s life following a shooting in North Philadelphia last...

Next Post
High School for Law and Public Service, DOE, Paula Lev,Dominican, Department of Education, white teachers

Petition: Principal Paula Lev Accused of Wanting To Racially Divide High School, Descending Students & Faculty Into “Insanity”

Philadelphia, attack, James Lambert, teen, suspects, police brothers, Elsie Stephens

10-Year-Old and 14-Year-Old Suspects Involved In Death Of 73-Year-Old Philadelphia Man Turn Themselves In

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

© 2021 SNACKABLE MEDIA LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
  • POLITICS
  • BUSINESS
  • SPORTS
  • LIFESTYLE

© 2021 SNACKABLE MEDIA LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In