In the Jim Crow South, there weren't many places our people could go, knowing they’d be left in peace. Racial terrorism could strike from anywhere at any time. But not here.
Juke joints were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These Black-owned businesses were a cornerstone of the Black community. Our people could go there, listen to our music, and have a great time on a Saturday night. These joints were about much more than dancing and drinking, though.
The juke was an entrepreneurial hub. Black distillers supplied corn liquor. Chefs earned a living by serving delicacies like chitlins. And the musicians, the mainstay of any juke, were booked and drawing crowds to joints all along the chitlin circuit.
As depicted in the box office hit, Sinners, juke joints were a place of freedom for us. When folks walked through the doors of their local joint, nothing else mattered except having a good time in a place that felt like home.
It was an escape from a dangerous reality that considered us three-fifths of a white person, even if the feeling of freedom only lasted for just one night. In many ways, our reality is still constrained by anti-Blackness. We must continue to create spaces that are just for us. Let this history inspire you to create or find a local space where Black people can gather safely and freely.