The Great Migration has been slept on as a freedom movement. Between 1910 to 1970 roughly 6 million Black people vacated the South.
They bought one way tickets, only took what they could carry, and said goodbye to everything they knew. Many didn’t know what lay ahead, but they knew staying was a death sentence.
From 1882 to 1968, roughly 4,743 lynchings occurred in America. Our people migrated for safety and out of necessity.
Many sought better employment and educational opportunities.
Before 1910, 90 percent of America’s Black population lived in the South. By 1970, 47 percent of our community had migrated, bringing their recipes, slang, music & dances, style, genius, and other cultural practices right along with them.
Without the migration, movements like the Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights, and the Black Power movement may not have been possible.
The Great Migration is one of our freedom movements with the most longevity.
Wherever Black people move greatness, wealth, and liberation follows us. So let’s be intentional in how we move, where we move, and who we move with. Let’s move towards Black joy and abundance.