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A LOOK BACK INTO BUFFALO’S HISTORY BUFFALO’S ETHNIC CITY — Like many other cities of similar size during the late 1800s and early 1900s, the city of Buffalo saw significant growth in terms of new residents due to immigration from Europe and a large migration of blacks from the post-civil war south. Due to Buffalo’s reputation as an industrial center during the early Twentieth Century which provided several jobs for an unskilled labor force, many poor black families migrated to the city in search of greater opportunities and a better life. Buffalo’s black population during the early part of the Twentieth Century was centered in the lower east side section of the city, near Michigan Avenue, South Division, and Broadway. As the black population began to grow, both in size as well as in prosperity, families began moving into other sections of the city which had been abandoned by other ethnic groups. When the Great Depression hit the United States in the late 1920s, Buffalo was dealt a harsh blow when it came to manufacturing and industrial job loss. By 1930, unemployment in many of these industries was well over 20 percent. With the signing of the New Deal by President Roosevelt in 1933, the nation and Buffalo would finally see some relief in the form of public works programs. These programs and projects put many Americans to work, building infrastructure, roads, sports stadiums, and airports to name a few. Buffalo’s War Memorial Auditorium, the former home of the Buffalo Sabres, which was in the last few years demolished to make way for a dreamed Bass Pro Sports store was one of these public works projects. Along with the building of sports stadiums, many public works projects were centered on public housing. Because residents of the city were still feeling the effects of low employment due to the Depression, public housing was seen as a welcomed and needed addition to the city. The public housing projects would become the home of many African American families; however, these families would have a hard time moving out and into better living situations due to the trend towards segregation happening in the city during the 1930s. The lack of political representation of the African American community is perhaps the primary reason for this unfortunate happening. In the book Race, Neighborhoods, and Community Power: Buffalo Politics, 1934-1997, Albany: State University of New York, 2000, author Neil Kraus looks at the lack of political representation as a key ingredient to the segregated city being created in Buffalo. Kraus wrote: Buffalo’s residential patterns have played a significant role in the local political process, both contributing to policymaking as well as being a product of local policy choices. In terms of policymaking, segregation has been important because the black community was tightly concentrated from the 1930s through the 1950s, yet had little if any, representation during this period. Consequently, sections of the lower east side were, in effect, simply left out of the policy-making progress. And that very same process from which the black community was excluded segregated African Americans even more, particularly with the introduction of public housing in the 1930s. The building of public housing would go on to create a negative identity with the communities which housed these new projects. Not only were black families pushed to live in segregated sections of the city, but the absence of representation also created a gap when it came to political power which was beneficial to helping the black community make progress. The politics of today were planted in the past and those seeds created a difficult world for the African American community to better themselves, like the Irish, German, Polish and Italian immigrants who came before them. However, due to racial prejudice, Buffalo’s African American community has had a difficult time breaking out of the mold created by segregation so many years ago. Read More From This Writer All Post Business Culture Entertainment Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Our Community Peace People Sports A LOOK BACK INTO BUFFALO’S HISTORY November 23, 2022/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More A LOOK BACK INTO  BUFFALO’S HISTORY (Continued from last month) October 23, 2022/No Comments A LOOK BACK INTO  BUFFALO’S HISTORY (Continued from last month) Buffalo was also enjoying inner growth as well with the Read More A LOOK BACK INTO  BUFFALO’S HISTORY (Continued from last month) September 18, 2022/No Comments A LOOK BACK INTO  BUFFALO’S HISTORY (Continued from last month) Buffalo is viewed as one of the most segregated cities Read More Load More End of Content.

A LOOK BACK INTO  BUFFALO’S HISTORY (Continued from last month) Buffalo was also enjoying inner growth as well with the advent of new technologies such as street cars giving its residents access to parts of the city they normally would never venture out to. Although the city at the time was beginning to show signs of ethnic segregation within its separate district, these streetcars created a sense of accessibility for too many of the city’s residents. During the early 1900s people never really ventured outside of their surroundings and neighborhoods due to the lack of transportation but this all changed once the city of Buffalo began adopting public transportation streetcars as a cheap transportation alternative. These streetcars crisscrossed the city and were powered by the same electrical source Nikola Tesla was using at the Pan-American Exposition. The Exposition was a World’s Fair held in Buffalo, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied 350 acres (0.55 sq. mi) of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood Avenue and northward to Great Arrow Avenue. Streetcars helped people move about with people moving around the city, and business began to pick up, especially downtown as the city’s business and commercial center began to take shape, however, it was the advent and the manipulation of electricity that would help the city gain its audience. Buffalo was booming. The industry was taking shape. People were moving about and the Pan-American Exposition was seen as a success as it brought in many outsiders to the new City of Lights. One of the most interesting exhibits displayed during the Pan American Exposition was the African Village in which sixty-two people representing over thirty African tribes were brought to Buffalo and displayed alongside their weapons, handicrafts, songs, dances, and witchcraft.  There has always been a question of the authenticity of the African tribesmen, and although that is an important question that should be explored further, the representation of the African village in the backdrop of the progressive and forward-thinking Pan-American Exposition is telling. The Pan American Exposition’s theme of human progress from savage to civilized used the African village as a representation of the savagery, untamed man, and this exhibit, for all of its popularity at the time, would go a long way to reinforcing negative attitudes and stereotypes against African Americans. It was also the site of a very tragic and unfortunate historical event the assassination of President William McKinley. He was originally supposed to be at the opening of the exposition in May 1901, but due to his wife’s illness, delayed the Buffalo.  President McKinley arrived in Buffalo in September and on the afternoon of September 6, Leon Czolgosz, a budding anarchist, shot President McKinley twice in the stomach, fatally injuring the president. Ironically, it was an African American man by the name of James Benjamin Parker who tackled and knocked the gun out of Czolgosz’s hand during his attack on the President. The President would survive for over a week before succumbing to his wounds on September 14th.  In this instant, Buffalo New York, a place filled with pride and joy, would sadly forever be linked to such a tragic event. Two months after the assassination, the Temple of Music along with many other buildings that housed the many exhibits of the summer Fair were demolished. Buffalo had hoped the exposition would positively promote the city, however, with the fallout and aftermath of President McKinley’s death, the city would forever bear the shame. — to be continued…. Read More From This Writer All Post Business Culture Entertainment Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Our Community Peace People Sports A LOOK BACK INTO  BUFFALO’S HISTORY (Continued from last month) October 23, 2022/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More A LOOK BACK INTO  BUFFALO’S HISTORY (Continued from last month) September 18, 2022/No Comments A LOOK BACK INTO  BUFFALO’S HISTORY (Continued from last month) Buffalo is viewed as one of the most segregated cities Read More A LOOK BACK INTO BUFFALO’S HISTORY August 18, 2022/No Comments A LOOK BACK INTO BUFFALO’S HISTORY I’m a firm believer in looking into the past to shape one’s future. As Read More Load More End of Content.