As these problems increased, many African Americans left their homes and farms in the South around the time of World War I and traveled to northern industrial cities in search of a better life. Whole families, including immediate relative, moved to Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, New York, Cleveland, St. Louis, and other cities where employment might be available. It must have taken considerable courage to embark on such a journey. In his poem, "Migration," Walter Dean Myers gives us a look at what these African Americans faced.
In the waiting room, "Colored,"
Hands, callused and as black as the rich
(Lawrence,
The Great Migration
, p. 61.)
The paintings of Jacob Lawrence printed in book form,
The Great Migration
, with accompanying text give us a visual picture to sharpen our realization of what the trek was like. Students will be asked to write a poem, perhaps joined with an illustration, assuming the role of someone who migrated. They will also investigate if any members of their family made such a move during past years. If, in fact, someone in their family did travel northward, they will then be asked to write a similar poem about what they have discovered. Throughout, the point that these people were taking a chance and the conflicting emotions they must have felt will be emphasized. The struggles, which followed, will be countered with the elements of family, church, and community that held them together.