African Americans in Mississippi facts for kids
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,149,341 (2017) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Jackson metropolitan area, Mississippi Delta, rural majority Black counties throughout the state | |
| Languages | |
| Southern American English, African-American Vernacular English | |
| Religion | |
| Historically Black Protestant | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Black Southerners |
African Americans in Mississippi or Black Mississippians are residents of the state of Mississippi who are of African American ancestry. As of the 2019 U.S. Census estimates, African Americans were 37.8% of the state's population which is the highest in the nation.
African Americans were brought to Mississippi for cotton production during the slave trade.
History
In 1718, French officials established rules to allow the importation of African slaves into the Biloxi area. By 1719, the first African slaves arrived. Most of those early enslaved people in Mississippi were Caribbean Creoles.
As the demographer William H. Frey noted, "In Mississippi, I think it's [identifying as mixed race] changed from within." Historically in Mississippi, after Indian removal in the 1830s, the major groups were designated as black (African American), who were then mostly enslaved, and white (primarily European American). Matthew Snipp, also a demographer, commented on the increase in the 21st century in the number of people identifying as being of more than one race: "In a sense, they're rendering a more accurate portrait of their racial heritage that in the past would have been suppressed."
After having accounted for a majority of the state's population since well before the Civil War and through the 1930s, today African Americans constitute approximately 37 percent of the state's population. Some of these slaves were mixed race, with European ancestors, as there were many children born into slavery with white fathers. Some also have Native American ancestry. During the first half of the 20th century, a total of nearly 400,000 African Americans left the state during the Great Migration, for opportunities in the North, Midwest and West. They became a minority in the state for the first time since early in its development.
Notable people
- Mae Bertha Carter - Figure of the Civil Rights Movement
- Aunjanue Ellis - Actress
- Fannie Lou Hamer - Figure of the Civil Rights Movement
- John M. Perkins - Figure of the Civil Rights Movement
- B.B. King - Musician
- Oprah Winfrey - Television personality, actress, producer
- Jerry Rice - NFL Football Player with the San Francisco 49ers
- Walter Payton NFL Football Player with the Chicago Bears
- Brandy Norwood Singer, actress
- Jerome Barkum - NFL Football Player with the New York Jets
- Lester Young - Musician, Tenor Saxophone
- Muddy Waters - Musician
- Howlin Wolf - Musician
- Elmore James - Musician
- Swae Lee - Musician
- Karlous Miller - Comedian
- James Earl Jones - Actor
- Ray J - Singer, TV Personality, singer
- Sam Cooke - Singer
- Robert Johnson - Musician
- Ruby Bridges - Activist
- Medgar Evers - Activist
- Ida B. Wells - Activist
- Big K.R.I.T - Rapper
- Cassi Davis - Actress
- Shelby McEwen - Athlete
- Frederick O'Neal - Actor
- Beah Richards - Actress
