3 days ago
11
Between 1910 to 1970, millions of African Americans left the South in search of greater opportunities for freedom, rights, and economic mobility. Due to sheer scale, this human movement became known as the Great Migration. Richard Wright, one of the twentieth century’s seminal writers, was among those millions and described the experience in his 1945 memoir, Black Boy: “I was taking a part of the South to transplant in alien soil, to see if it could grow differently, if it could drink of new and cool rains, bend in strange winds, respond to the warmth of other suns and, perhaps, to bloom.” Over 50 years post-Great Migration, many of its core questions remain resonant for Black people: Where can we build a better future? Where can we gain a sense of security and belonging? Where are there well-paying jobs and economic opportunities? Where can we live a bit more free?
English (US)