My mom grew up around farm country in North Carolina, but her family relocated to Brooklyn when she was in junior high....my pop grew up in the Bronx then Brooklyn. The Long Island suburbs was the compromise, as she wanted the kids to grow up in an area similar to what she knew and were about a 40 minute or less drive from Brooklyn.
The rest of the relations stayed in "the city" because they like it and couldn't see paying the suburban taxes.
We didn't move to the burbs until the my kid brother was born in 1966...I was born in 1958, the middle brother born in 1961...white flight was from 1940 -1970 according to historians.
So it wan't about "following" anyone...black folk do make some choices that doesn't include worrying about people like you or what you think, ya know. Hope this answers your question.
Good to see you don’t live in or grew up in a bad ‘hood.

Oh Lord, this old David Duke/StormFront/KKK chestnut again?