Reddit reviews Trouble in Mind

While it is hard to believe, believe it. In courthouses in Georgia and Mississippi, marriage records were segregated in some places until well into the 1970s. I'm sure this was true in other states as well, but these are places where I have done research. Meaning that white marriages were recorded in one set of books and black marriages were recorded in another. Since that was going on at a document level, you'd better believe that "color coding" is woven into the fabric of American life.

I have regularly asked a basic university US history class (wide assortment of students since it is a required class) in a deep south state, "How many of you went to high schools with a black prom and a white prom?" The majority respond that they did so. While certain cases have gotten media attention, there are still many, many high schools in the South that host segregated proms.

The underground railroad refers to a 19th century movement that was alive between the 1830s until slavery was made illegal. Parts of it were organized and connected and others, not so much. Most of the people who participated in the UGRR were abolitionists and they were, overall, a small group.

During the time of Cab Calloway's performance, it was considered chic for blacks and whites to go hear jazz in Harlem. In fact, he performed in clubs that he was not legally allowed to attend as a paying customer.

Even earlier, listening to slaves singing was a touristy thing to do for visitors to plantations. Many wrote of it.

One of the best books to describe Jim Crow, and the degree to which things were "color coded" is Trouble in Mind by Leon Litwack. Yes, it is long and grueling, but well worth the read if you really want a good idea of what segregation in the US was like, in a variety of places and amongst a variety of people.