The Great Migration By Jacob Lawrence This is a story of African-American strength and courage. I share it now as my parents told it to me, because their struggles and triumphs ring true today. People all over the world are still on the move, trying to build better lives for themselves and their families.

Around the time of WWI, many African-Americans from the South left home and traveled to cities in the North in search of a better life. Panel #1

There was a shortage of workers in Northern factories because many had left their jobs to fight in the First World War. Panel #2

The factory owners had to find new workers to replace those who were marching off to war. Panel #3 Panel #4

Northern industries offered Southern blacks jobs as workers and lent them money, to be repaid later, for their railroad tickets. The Northbound trains were packed with recruits. Panel #5 Panel #6

Nature had ravaged the South. Floods ruined farms Nature had ravaged the South. Floods ruined farms. The boll weevil destroyed cotton crops. Panel #7 Panel #9

The war had doubled the cost of food, making life even harder for the poor. Panel #10 Panel #11

Railroad stations were so crowed with migrants that guards were called in to keep order. Panel #12

For African-Americans, the South was barren in many ways For African-Americans, the South was barren in many ways. There was no justice for them in courts, and their lives were often in danger. Panel #15 Panel #14

Although slavery had long been abolished, white landowners treated the black tenant farmers harshly and unfairly. Panel #17 Panel #16

And so the migration grew. Segregation divided the South. Panel #18 Panel #19

Families would arrive very early at railroad stations to make sure they could get on the Northbound trains. Panel #21 Early arrival was not easy because African-Americans found on the streets could be arrested for no reason. Panel #22

And the migrants kept coming. Panel #23

Families often gathered to discuss whether to go North or stay South. In the South there was little opportunity for education, and the children labored in the fields. Panel #24 Families often gathered to discuss whether to go North or stay South. Panel #30

The promise of better housing in the North could not be ignored. Panel #31

Letters from relatives in the North and articles in the black press portrayed a better life outside the South. Panel #33 Panel #34

Many migrants arrived in Chicago. Panel #35

In Chicago and other cities, they labored in the steel mills. Panel #36 Panel #37

And the migrants kept coming. Panel #40 Panel #39

Southern landowners, stripped of cheap labor, tried to stop the migration by jailing the labor agents and the migrants. Panel #41 Panel #42 Sometimes the agents disguised themselves to avoid arrest, but the migrants were often taken from railroad stations and jailed until the trains departed.

Housing was a very difficult problem for the migrants. Panel #45

As the migrant population grew, good housing became scarce As the migrant population grew, good housing became scarce. Workers were forced to live in overcrowded and dilapidated tenement houses. Panel #46 Panel #47

They also found discrimination in the North, although it was much different from that which they had known in the South. Panel #48

Panel #51 Race riots were very numerous all over the North because of the antagonism that was caused between black and white workers. Many of these riots occurred because blacks were employed as strike breakers in many of the Northern industries. In many cities in the North where African- Americans had been overcrowded in their own living quarters, they attempted to spread out. This resulted in many of the race riots and the bombing of African-American homes. Panel #50

One of the largest race riots occurred in East St. Louis. Panel #52

The storefront church became a center of the migrants’ lives. African-Americans who had been North for some time met the migrants with disgust and aloofness. Panel #54 The storefront church became a center of the migrants’ lives. Panel #53

The sudden move from out of doors to cramped urban life caused many migrants to contract tuberculosis. Because of this, death rates were very high. Panel #55

Female workers were among the last to leave. The African-American professional was forced to follow his clientele to make a living. Panel #56 Panel #57 Female workers were among the last to leave.

In the North, African-Americans had the freedom to vote. In the North, African-Americans had access to better educational facilities. Panel #58 Panel #59

And the migrants kept coming. Panel #60

“And the migrants kept coming” is a refrain of triumph over adversity “And the migrants kept coming” is a refrain of triumph over adversity. My family and others left the South on a quest for freedom, justice, and dignity. If our story rings true for you today, then it must still strike a chord in our American experience. -- Jacob Lawrence, 1992