Garnell Morgan, in “Vanished Cities: The Forgotten Black Towns of America,” breathes life into stories of such thriving black communities brutally erased from American history.

There is the recalling of towns such as Greenwood, Oklahoma, or Rosewood, Florida—all symbols of black resilience and pride in self-reliance and cultural heritage. Such vibrant towns’ portraits painted for boom-time economies, intact and thriving family structures, and subsequently built dreams all lie in the aftermath of slavery.