The Migration Series
The migration of blacks from rural towns in the South to northern cities started when rail road companies offered to pay for black workers' transportation to the North in exchange for a few months of cheap labor. The first major wave occurred between 1916-1919 and the second from 1921-1923. They resulted in a huge increase in the black population in large northern cities.
There were many reasons for the migration. One reason was that World War I created many job openings which were advertised in newspapers from the North, promising money and improved living conditions. These were jobs that had previously been unavailable to black people. The negative situation existing for many blacks in the South made life difficult for many. The lure of a better life was a beacon in the face of a sharecropper's existence and racist Jim Crow laws. This migration was an important chapter in African American history and became the subject of the famous African American painter, Jacob Lawrence in his series, The Migration.
Using the book, The Migration, the class will examine the movement as he illustrated it in his series. Focus will be on the strength and courage it took for families to pull up roots and travel to the unknown North. Even with the hope of a better life, such a decision was not an easy one to make. The less than ideal condition, the racial prejudice, and the isolation which they faced after they arrived were other battles to endure. The same general procedure used with other art work will be followed: Discussion of the piece, speculation regarding motivation and emotions of its subjects, and some type of oral, written, or artistic extension related to the painting.
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
In previous units of mine, I have used Mildred Taylor's novel, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, a number of times and in different ways. This was possible because the story has so much to offer, especially about the strength of family and community in the face of adversity. It also does a marvelous job of showing that "backing down" is not always a sign of weakness. Again, I call upon Taylor's work. This time I have selected to highlight that part of the story which deals with the Logan family's attempt to organize a boycott of the local store, once the plantation store for Mr. Granger, one of the areas most powerful land owners. The store is now run by the unruly Wallace family. Besides exposing the young black children of the area to drinking and gambling, the Wallaces exploit the sharecropping families financially and are suspected of being involved in Klan activities. The Logans were one of the few black families who owned their own land, purchased during Reconstruction. They risk everything, including Papa's life to bring some justice to the community.
After the appropriate sections have been read, the dangers of their attempts will be weighed against the possible benefits. Students will speculate whether they would have been supportive of the boycott, keeping in mind the dangers it could pose to themselves and their families. They will research and discuss the various boycotts organized in the South during the Civil Rights movement. These will then be compared to what the Logans attempted to do.
The second section I will highlight is one in which Cassie Logan, the story's nine year old narrator, is humiliated twice by white people during a trip to the nearby town of Strawberry. The most demoralizing occurs when she has accidentally bumped into a white girl she knows. The girl demands that she both apologize and get down in the street so the girl can pass by. When the girl's father, flanked by her older brothers, demands further apology, Cassie's grandmother appears on the scene. To Cassie's utter disbelief, Big Ma tells her to honor the man's request.
This incident and the related events that follow, open a variety of topics for discussion, ending in the realization that Big Ma did what she had to do in order to protect Cassie and, perhaps, the rest of the family. Cassie's ultimate revenge provides similar fruit for discussion. Written arguments defending both Big Ma and Cassie's actions can be created and shared.
