Reynoldstown Then and Now

The area of Winston Salem to the left of the green line is populated almost completely by white people. The area with cluster of gun symbols representing all the firearm violations over the past weekend to the upper right of the green line is populated almost completely by black people. The red "X" marks the spot where I live. I was surprised to see a gun symbol on the white side of the line and so near my house until I realized that the firearm violation occurred in a public park.

Yes, Winston Salem is a city largely segregated by both race and gun violence, and anyone who cannot see that gun violence here is largely linked to blacks is blind.

In 1950 the population of Winston Salem was 42% black, the highest percentage for any of the 6 largest cities in North Carolina at that time. And, excluding the Hispanic population, the black:white ratio remains the same today. But with an influx of Hispanics, non-Hispanic whites are now a minority of 45% with blacks at 33% and Hispanics at 12%.

So why the concentration of blacks is what is know today as East Winston? Well, the R J Reynolds Tobacco Company manufacturing plants were concentrated in the area marked with the black "X". With  threats of labor strikes by their white employees, the companies brought in a large number of poor blacks from South Carolina who were more than happy with the wages Reynolds paid. And then there was Reynoldstown which the company built within walking distance of the manufacturing plants to house the workers. Reynoldstown today is located dead center of all those gun symbols on the map representing firearm violations. The Reynoldstown community expanded to the north and east over time and that is where nearly all blacks and gun violence are to be found today. 

Interesting, gun violations are not common in downtown Winston Salem. The old Reynolds manufacturing plants, with manufacturing long moved out of downtown to quarters in the county with a lower tax base, have been repurposed as upscale apartments, restaurants and businesses, and is now called the Innovation Quarter.