Jacob Lawrence's landmark 1941 series tells the story of the Great Migration - the mass movement of black Americans from the rural South to urban centers in the North and the West that began during World War I. The story was very much his own. Born in 1917 to migrant parents living in New Jersey, the artist recalled hearing tales of "People coming up" from family, friends, and neighbors throughout his youth. Harlem, where Lawrence resided from about the age of thirteen, was a world that blended Southern idioms, tastes and sounds with a new urban attitude. 

Over the years, the number of black migrants moving northward ebbed and flowed. A steady stream was noticed already in 1915: the current surged in 1916. As the Northern job market tightened with the financial crash of 1929, the wave of migrants receded, only to rise yet higher in the years during and after World War II. New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Saint Louis were all major destinations. Those departing the South were attracted by new job opportunities in the North. They were also fleeing the racial humiliations and the state-sanctioned violence of the Jim Crow regime. In the scene, the Great Migration resonates with the namy other immigration stories in this country's history - of families uprooting themselves for a place unknown in pursuit of freedom, safety and dignity. 

The flow of black Americans to the cities of the North and the West did not abate until the early 1970's when, thanks to the civil right movement, conditions began to improve in the South. All told, it is estimated that over 6 million Southern-born African-Americans moved north and west in the period-a scale that makes it one of the largest demographic event of the 20th century. The migration altered the country's social landscape . In 1910 close to 90% of the nation's African-American were living in the South. By 1970, almost half lived elsewhere. It also set in motion changes that transformed nearly every sphere of American culture. The story of the migration, as Lawrence recognized in his Migration Series, was crucial to understanding the issues confronting Americans in 1941. It is crucial in understanding those that confront us today.

SAVE THE DATE

Please join with us to celebrate with Bill and Kay an exciting first year at All Saints and their 25th Wedding Anniversary. This will a barbecue lunch immediately after the 10 am service so around 11:15 am. 

We have a beautifully crafted leather book for all memorial gifts given to our faith community. Unfortunately, the only names presently listed are those saints who contributed to the original building we continue to be blessed with. If you, a family member, or friend have a memorial gift that should be noted, please contact Donna in the office, send an e-mail to allsaints@metrocast.net, or share with Lorraine Holley who has graciously agreed to update the memorials book.