Portland Observer, February 25, 1987. Section II, Page 5
Field to Factory: The Great Migration
by J o h n n ie D o u th is
S m ith so n ia n N ew s Service
R u fu s C rew m o ve d to Cleveland in 1927. ta kin g a c irc u ito u s ro u te fro m
S o u th C a rolina to G eorgia to Indiana and fin a lly to O hio He stayed fo r a
tim e in each state try in g to fin d a better w a y o f life fo r his w ife and eight
ch ild re n
C rew s arrival in Cleveland, ho w e ver, did n o t end th e fa m ily 's
s tru g g le S o m e tim e s his ch ild re n had to w o rk to sup plem en t th e fa m ily in
c o m e But all th e yo u n g ste rs c o m p le te d hig h school, and several atten ded
co lle g e on the w ay to pro fe ssio nal careers
C rew s sto ry is a m o ng those to ld in a special e x h ib itio n . Field to Fac­
to ry A fro A m e rica n M ig ra tio n 1915 1940
at the S m ith s o n ia n 's N ational
M u se u m o f A m e rica n H isto ry in W a sh in g to n D C
H isto rian S pencer Crew, the e x h ib it’s organizer, is the g ra nd son o f Rufus
C rew He explains that his fa m ily and other black pe op le le ft the S ou th for
va rie d reasons, b u t th a t, above all. the cha nce for m any to escape dism al
liv in g c o n d itio n s w as the im p e tu s for the m assive e xo du s o f A fro A m en
cans
the S o u th
Labor re cru ite rs (resented and threatened by S o u th e rn o ffi
c ia ls l. w o rd o f m o u th a d v e rtis in g , le tte rs and n e w sp ape rs all w e re used
to fin d replacem ent w o rke rs
Black new spapers, such as th e C hicago D efender and the P ittsb u rg h
Courier, played an im p o rta n t role by running articles aim ed at black
S ou thern ers ab ou t d is c rim in a tio n and the advantages o f livin g in the
N o rth But letters fro m the new N o rth ern residents proved to be the best
source o f in fo rm a tio n , in m an y instances, these messages w e re the deci
din g fa c to r in w h e th e r or n o t one jo in e d the M ig ration
Traveling by tra in presented hazards o f a d iffe re n t kin d A fro A m erican s
had to ride in p o o rly m a intained and o v e rc ro w d e d cars ne xt to lo c o m o tiv e s
trailing soo t and cinders th a t settled over th e already an xio u s passengers
A fte r these in d ig n itie s, w h a t aw a ite d the m ig ra n ts on ce th e y reached ttie
N o rth w as o fte n the u n k n o w n Yet ad ju stm e n t w as po ssib le w ith the help
o f a frie n d or re la tive and a ssista nce fro m th e U rb a n League c h u rc h
groups. T raveler's A id S ociety or oth er local o rg a n iza tio n s tfia t he lp ed am
vais.
W h a t m ade it especially to u g h fo r m any to leave hom e w as the stro n g
su p p o rt lo n g p ro vid ed S o u th e rn blacks by chu rche s and c o m m u n ity
g ro u p s These su p p o rt system s m ade it possible for blacks to live a toler
able existence, de spite all th e injustices
The exodus w as called the "Great M ig ra tio n . " and it in vo lve d hund reds
o f th o u sa n d s o f people w h o headed n o rth after the o u tb re a k o f W o rld
W ar I The sto ry ab ou t these A fro A m erican s fits in to o ttie r m ig ra tio n s
C rew says
They w ere |ust as heroic as W e ste rn pioneers, w h o also de
sired a better life
A t th e tu rn o f the ce n tu ry, three quarters o f all blai k Am eru ans lived in
th e rural S ou th They were a cru cia l souce o f cheap labor in the region, but
black A m erican s seldom p ro fite d fro m their w o rk
Very fe w o w n e d their
o w n hom es or the land they farm ed
W o r k e r s p ic k c o t t o n in th e ru r a l S o u th , w h e r e A t r o A m e r ic a n s ,
o n c e a c r u c ia l s o u r c e o f e tie a p la b o r, s e ld o m p r o f it e d f r o m th e ir
In th e m o v e to th e N o r th it w a s th e e x c e p t io n a l m ig r a n t w h o lo ft
th e S o u th be c a r M o s t tr a v e le d b y b u s tr a in o r o n fo o t
The de. is io n to leave w .is an in d iv id ii.il o n e
C re w says
It w .is n o t a
.)>•. is io n i- id e o n ttie b a sis o f w h o w a s le a v e tin t ra ttie r a m a tte r o t w e ig h
m g i In in »
fo r som e
it w a s h a rd to le a ve if th e fa m ily o w n e d jir o jie r t y
O th e rs m ay h a ve s ta y e d in ttie S o u tti to fig h t th ro u g h the rig id s e g re g a tio n
jio lit res
A fte r m a k m g th e d e i is io n
it s o m e tim e s he. arne a d a n g e ro u s ta sk to
a c tu a lly i a ir y nut as loi al la w s m a d e it p o s s ib le fo r m ig ra n ts to tie a rre s te d
O m e o n th e ro .n l
H u n d r e d s o f th o u s a n d s o f b la c k A m e r ic a n s h e a d e d n o r th a fte r
W o r ld W a r I A lt h o u g h th e y le f t f o r v a r ie d re a s o n s , a b o v e a ll th e
c h a n c e f o r m a n y to e s c a p e d is m a l liv in g c o n d itio n s w a s th e im p e tu s
f o r t h is m a s s iv e e x o d u s , k n o w n as th e G re a t M ig r a t io n
A s to ld m th e
s e g re g a tio n p ra c tir es . a userf a d ilitio n .il problem s
f ie ld to F.n lo ry
e x h ib itio n
I Ilian R e u b e n M i N e a ry , a
b la i k w o m a n tra v e lin g by tin s fr o m N e w b e rry
S (
to N e w Y o rk C ity
at i id e n ta lly u se d a r e s tro o m re s e rv e d for w h ite jie o p le
b u t to
ttie
T tie o th e r passed
R e u b e n M . N e a ry w a s re p rim a n d e d b y the o w n e r
g e ts fe a re d fo r tier life
relief o f th e o th e rs
ttie
re b u k e w .is v e rb a l
n o t p h y s ic a l
h a rd w o r k
F.n ed w ith c o m p e titio n fro m m ig ra n ts fo i jobs and the already short sup
jily of ho using w h ite s at tim es resp on ded v io le n tly to their ne w n e ig h tio rs
Race rio ts in itia te d by w h ite s to o k place in several cities, in c lu d in g C h icag o
in 1919 and D e tro it in 1925 To prevent black residents fro m b u yin g or rent
mg in certain n e ig h b o rh o o d s, re strictive legal cove na nts w e re in s titu te d
T hese jiro h ib ite d o w n e rs fro m selling or re n tin g their hom es to anyone their
n e ig h tio rs fo u n d o b je i tionahle
I he G reat M ig ra tio n also caused som e con cern in ttie m in d s o f A fro
A m eru ans already settled in N o rth e rn i dies
These reside nts fearer) that
Hie increasing black im p u ta tio n w o u ld cause ad d itio n a l d is c rim in a tio n , an il
blai k citizens w e re anxious ab ou t ttie u n s o jih is tu ated m anners o f th e new
com ers
C rew says
M o re o v e r, this arrival o f new m ig ra n ts in te n sifie d the d e m an d fo i bo using
and mi leased ttie size ot til.u k n e ig h b o rh o o d s
H o usin g th e re was m ore
e xp en sive th a n co m p a ra b le h o u s in g in o th e r areas even th o u g h hom es
w ere o fte n d ila p id a te d and l.n ked adegoate san itatio n tai ilities
Bei .lose
the rents were high , m any te n a n ts shared then hom es w ith hoarders or
ne w ly arrived relatives
Yet the new residents soon m ade an im jia i t on g u tty urban jm litii s
This large black . (im m u n ity p ro vid e d a new core o f s u jijio rt fo i blai k is
sues
C rew says
The ballots cast tiy m ig ra n ts w ere im p o rta n t for sw ing
vote s and for ttie ele ctio n o f b la i k p o liticia n s
Ttie N a tion al A ssociatio n for the A d va n ce m e n t o , C o lore d People esta
blished be fore ttie G reat M ig ra tio n fo u n d added s u p p o rt for its ai tiv itie s
Black S o u th e rn e rs also had to live w ith " J im C row law s set fo rth by
the 1896 S up rem e C o urt case Plessy vs Ferguson w h ic h p ro vid e d for
separate b u t equal fa cilitie s for blacks In tru th the p u b lic fa cilitie s w e re
far fro m equal S ch o o ls for black childre n w ere w o e fu lly in ad equ ate o n ly
serving e lem e ntary scho ol grades Since there were fe w publn black frfg fi
sch o o ls in rural areas, parents w e re fo rce d to establish and s u p p o rt private
black hig h scho ols Black people w ere also the* v ic tim s o t vio le n t attar ks
by w h ite s be atin gs and lyn ch in g s were the crude to o ls o f in tim id a tio n
The G reat M ig ra tio n cu t across the sp e ctru m o f the b la i k p o p u la tio n
F anners, colleg e gra du ates and servicem en headed N o rth
S ervice in the
m ilita ry (an o p p o rtu n ity for y o u n g black m en to s h o w p a trio tis m and to
p ro ve them selves g o o d citizens) exposed the re cru its to d iffe re n t w ays of
6fe o u tsid e th e S o u th
A fte r re tu fn in g h o m e ,” Crew says,
t w as d iffu ult
lo r these veterans to live as before
; D u rin g W o rld W ar I, as p ro d u c tio n in th«- in d u stria l N o rtti in i te a se d
h ia n y com p an ies lost their m ain labor source the w h ite m ale im m ig ra n t
(jo th e arm ed forces
As an alternative. N o rth e rn in d u stria lists turne d to
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