The Great Migration

"I was leaving the South to fling myself into the unknown," wrote author Richard Wright, who along with millions of other African Americans left the South for the West, Midwest, and North between 1915 and 1939. Daily life in the "separate but equal" South during this time was defined by segregation-different water fountains, telephone booths, schools, and even Bibles to swear upon in court. Local governments turned a blind eye to widespread racial violence. And so millions left in search of economic opportunity, safety, and change. "To transplant in alien soil, to see if it could grow differently, and perhaps...bloom," wrote Wright. The mass exodus of African Americans, later known as the First Great Migration, caused a Southern labor shortage and a boom for Northern industry. As African Americans put down roots in new cities, the places where they settled blossomed, enriched by their influence on culture, cuisine, and politics.