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| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 69,900 including those with partial Black ancestry (2.2% of Utah's population)[1] (2021) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Salt Lake City,South Salt Lake |
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The first African Americans to arrive inUtah werefur trappers in the early 19th century. The second influx consisted of bothfreedmen who were converts to theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and slaves belonging towhite converts. Later, most African American immigrants to Utah would migrate out for labor-related motivations. African Americans have traditionally been composed only a small part of the total population in Utah, with the2010 census placing the percentage of African Americans at 1.06%. Utah ranks 40th in the United States fortotal African American population and 43rd in percentage of residents who are African American.[2]
IncludingMultiracial people who are partly Black, Utah has 69,000 Black residents, with 35,000 reporting sole Black ancestry. That means Black people account for one and two percent of Utah's population under those respective categories.[3] Utah's Black population is mainly centered inSalt Lake County, which is about three percent Black;South Salt Lake has the highest percentage of African Americans of any city or town in Utah, with at least 11% of its residents identifying as Black.Ogden has a sizeable Black population as well, relative to Utah's general Black population.[vague]
The only record of African American presence in Utah prior to the arrival ofpioneers from LDS Church was in the case of a few fur-trappers that traveled to theUtah Territory.James P. Beckwourth was a member ofWilliam Ashley'sRocky Mountain Fur Company, and spent several years off and on in Utah, especially inCache Valley in the mid-1820s.[4][5]
Jedediah Smith led several expeditions in the late 1820s to the Utah territory that involved African Americans Petre Ranne and Polette Labross.[5]
In 1843, onJohn C. Fremont's second westward expedition (which included the Utah territory), a young free African American named Jacob Dodson accompanied him.[5]
On July 22, 1847, pioneers from the LDS Church, led byBrigham Young, entered the Salt Lake Valley, fleeingMissouri andIllinois due to intense persecution. By the end of 1847, there were 12 African Americans living in the Salt Lake Valley, among them 8 slaves (including Oscar Crosby and Hark Lay), and a family of four free African Americans (Isaac andJane Manning James family).Green Flake, who had also arrived with the initial pioneer company, had gone with a group of pioneers to help others traveling across the plains.[5]
By 1848 there were approximately 50 African Americans living in the Utah Territory after another pioneer company had arrived. 24 were slaves who had traveled fromMississippi led byJohn Brown, and they were joined by 12 other African Americans, mostly slaves, when they passed throughWinter Quarters inNebraska.[5]
In the 1850 US census, there were 50 "colored" people living in the Utah Territory, constituting 0.4% of the total territorial population.[6]
In theCompromise of 1850, theUnited States Congress established Utah as aslavery territory, officially legalizing slavery in the Utah territory.
In 1852, the Utah Legislature, with input from theprophet and territorial governor Brigham Young, established theAct in Relation to Service, which established a legal precedent for slavery in the territory (both for African Americans and Native Americans).[5] These laws both protected the rights and proper treatment of the slaves while also legitimizing slavery and the slaves' duty to their masters. For example, it required that slaves be protected from unwilling transfer and sexual exploitation and be given proper treatment and schooling. On the other hand, slaves were required to submit dutifully to their masters' wishes and to punishment when necessary.[7]
Under Utah territorial law (before theReconstruction Amendments were passed), African Americans could notvote, serve onjuries, be elected to the legislature, or serve in the militia.[8]
On June 19, 1862, the US Congressabolished slavery in Utah and all other US territories.[9]
| Year | Total Population | African American Population | Percentage of Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 40,273 | 59 | 0.15% |
| 1870 | 86,786 | 118 | 0.14% |
| 1880 | 143,963 | 232 | 0.16% |
| 1890 | 207,905 | 588 | 0.28% |
| 1900 | 276,749 | 672 | 0.25% |
| 1910 | 373,351 | 1,144 | 0.31% |
| 1920 | 449,396 | 1,446 | 0.32% |
| 1930 | 507,847 | 1,108 | 0.22% |
| 1940 | 550,310 | 1,235 | 0.22% |
| 1950 | 676,909 | 2,729 | 0.40% |
As shown in the table above, the historic population of African Americans in Utah has been proportionally low.[11] During the late 1800s, the greatest population of African Americans was inSalt Lake City, followed byUintah County due to the military presence, andWeber County due to the railroad center located inOgden.[5] Unlike other western African American populations in the time period where single African American men was the norm, African American Utahns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were mostly organized into family units.[5]
Until about 1870, most of the African American immigration to Utah was composed of converts to the LDS Church. After 1870, the majority of African American immigrants were immigrating for non-religious reasons.[5] Despite this growth, the proportion of African Americans in Utah remained consistently low.
TheUnited States Military and the arrival of the railroads in Utah were perhaps the two biggest pull factors and employers for African Americans in this time period. In 1900, the most common occupation for African Americans was soldier, and second was "servants and waiters", which included the large number who worked for railroad companies. Agriculture and mining were also common occupations at the time.[5]
As the African American community grew with the insurgence of non-religious motivated pioneers in the late 1800s, and especially grouped in places like Salt Lake City and Ogden, African American media, organizations, and churches (besides the LDS Church) began to emerge in greater numbers. Between 1890 and 1891, thefirst African Methodist Episcopal church in Utah was established in Salt Lake and became a focal point for the local African American community.[12] In the 1890s and early 1900s an African AmericanBaptist church was established in Salt Lake.[5]
There were two notable segregated African American military units in Utah in the late 1800s: theNinth Cavalry Regiment and the24th Infantry Regiment, stationed inFort Duchesne (Uintah County) and Salt Lake City respectively.[13] They were sent initially to help in theIndian Wars and in other necessary capacities. These two units composed a sizable portion of the African American population of Utah in this time period, notably giving Uintah county the second largest population of African Americans for a period of time.[5]
Fort Duchesne was reportedly segregated, but soldier-to-soldier interactions were generally not separated by race.[13]
The Utah Legislature passed ananti-miscegenation law in 1888 which prohibited marriage "between a negro and a white person".[14]
Some of the segregation present in Utah emerged in the late 1890s as a direct result of the arrival of the 24th Infantry to Salt Lake. Shop owners were reportedly concerned about African American soldiers entering their shops and restaurants, and were prompted to put up signs expressing their racial preferences.[5]
Utah Schools were not formally segregated.[5][15]
The early 1950s brought much-anticipated change to the Utah community of African Americans. Previously, many famous African Americans, including the opera singer Maria Anderson and other prominent musicians such asPaul Robeson,Harry Belafonte,Ella Fitzgerald, andLionel Hampton, all faced discrimination as they visited Utah. TheHotel Utah required them to abstain from eating at the hotel restaurant and to use the freight elevator.[16] Others were unable to find accommodation in the hotels.[17] Multiple governmental authorities, including theAmerican Ambassador to the United Nations,Ralph Bunche, and CongressmanAdam Clayton Powell, were also rejected by the hotel, forcing them to seek lodging in private homes.[18] Bars, night clubs, and many dining establishments in Salt Lake City refused service to African Americans.[18] The practice of segregation quickly began to dissolve, with public attractions such asLagoon, an amusement park inFarmington, allowing African Americans entry and use of the swimming pool and other park facilities.[18][17]
On the brink ofBrown v. Board of Education, Utah schools and universities tended to avoid hiring African American teachers, tending to favor whites for such positions.[18] According to theNAACP, no African American had taught in the Utah education system until late 1954, when the first Black public school teacher was hired.[18] Continued segregation existed not only in educational positions, but also in college sports until 1953, when the first Black football players were accepted onto theUtah State Agricultural College football team.[18]
By 1960, the African American population in Utah had grown by more than 50% relative to 1950, with census data showing an overall African American population of 4,148 people, comprising 0.47% of Utah's total population.[19] In 1963, Utah's 75-year ban on miscegenation was lifted, allowing interracial marriage. Utah was the second-to-last state to repeal its anti-miscegenation statute, withWyoming repealing in 1965.[20]
A 1967Daily Utah Chronicle interview with several African Americans in northern Utah provided insight into African-American views of racism and Utah's integration of civil rights policies. The interview reveals the African Americans, particularly youth, felt continued discouragement of interracial marriage, even after legalization, was wrong and unnecessary. Youth atWest High School reported that they felt welcome and received fair treatment at school. Students atOgden High School, however, complained about unfairness and prejudice from some teachers and principals. One woman felt offended at a realtor for not allowing her to look at house listings in predominantly white, middle-class East Salt Lake, taking her instead to the poor, dilapidated houses in West Salt Lake.[21]
By 1970, the African-American population in Utah had grown to 6,324.[22] The LDS Church continued withholding priesthood authority from African Americans, causing tension and criticism within the church.David O. McKay, President of the LDS Church, issued a letter to people struggling with confusion over the doctrine surrounding African Americans, stating resolutely that the time would come when African Americans would be given full rights in the church.[23]
In June 1978,Spencer W. Kimball, then-president of the LDS Church issuedOfficial Declaration 2, which affirmed the Church's belief in the equality of all men and ended the long-standing practice of withholding certain church privileges from African American members, such as holding the priesthood and enteringtemples.[24]
| Year | Total Population | African American Population | Percentage of Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1,461,037 | 9,225 | 0.63% |
| 1990 | 1,722,850 | 11,576 | 0.67% |
| 2000 | 2,233,169 | 17,657 | 0.79% |
| 2010 | 2,763,885 | 29,287 | 1.06% |
African American population in Utah continued increasing at an accelerating rate, reaching just over 1% of the overall population during the 2010 census.[28]
Utah's college and professional sports scene includes hundreds of African American athletes, many of which receive great support from fans around the state.[29] The roster for theUtah Jazz, anNBA franchise based in Salt Lake City, has recruited well-known African American players such asKarl Malone,Paul Millsap,Donovan Mitchell,Al Jefferson,Derrick Favors andThurl Bailey,[30] among manyothers.
Racism still serves as a form of denigration during sports rivalries in Utah. An interview with an African American basketball player at the University of Utah revealed thatracial slurs are still commonly shouted out during and after sports matches. Attempts ofphysical violence after games were also reported by the student.[31]
A 2009 Pew Forum study showed that approximately 3% of US members of the LDS Church, the predominant religion in Utah, were African American.[32]
The Calvary Baptist Church, a well-known African American house of worship, has had a presence in Salt Lake City since 1898. Founded by a small group of African American women who gathered regularly to pray, the small group quickly expanded and moved from personal homes into a larger building. Reverend A. E. Reynolds was invited to act as the Calvary Baptist Church's first pastor and served for approximately three years. Membership continued to grow rapidly. Under the direction of Reverend France Davis, a new facility was constructed in 2001 for worship services. Each Sunday, around 300 African Americans gather at the Calvary Baptist Church to receive a free breakfast and hear Reverend Davis preach a sermon.[33]
A 2013 study shows a large racial divide between East Salt Lake City and West Salt Lake City. The east is more affluent and is home to few African Americans and other minorities. The west, home to a much greater proportion of African Americans and other minorities, is a much more dilapidated, poverty-stricken area, with a 17.1% poverty rate according to the federally defined poverty line.[34]
The Salt Lake City chapter of theNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) claimed in 2017 to receive over 10 reports of racism weekly. Complaints include workplace unfairness, use of racial slurs, and threats of violence. Reports of racism are steadily increasing in the state.[35]
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