Great Migration Stories
The Great Migration between 1916 and 1970 saw six million African Americans move from the American South to urban centers in the Northeast, Midwest and West. One of the largest movements of people in history, this migration was motivated by poor economic conditions, racial prejudice and segregation, and violence used against Black southerners who attempted to exercise their legal rights or were seen as threatening the status quo in some way. African Americans who settled in the nation's large industrial cities, while continuing to be segregated where they lived, played, worked, and prayed, established vibrant communities of their own.
Despite, for many, the real sadness for many in leaving the South, and all the barriers faced by the migrants in their new homes, the migration was an act of individual and collective agency. It changed the course of American history, and became a "declaration of independence" written by their actions, as noted by Isabel Wilkerson in her article, The Long-Lasting Legacy of the Great Migration, in the September 2016 issue of Smithsonian Magazine.
Acknowledgements
We are especially grateful to those who have shared their Great Migration stories:
Despite, for many, the real sadness for many in leaving the South, and all the barriers faced by the migrants in their new homes, the migration was an act of individual and collective agency. It changed the course of American history, and became a "declaration of independence" written by their actions, as noted by Isabel Wilkerson in her article, The Long-Lasting Legacy of the Great Migration, in the September 2016 issue of Smithsonian Magazine.
Acknowledgements
We are especially grateful to those who have shared their Great Migration stories:
- James Allen
- Alex Bethea
- Aime Johnson Boyd and Susie Johnson Banks
- Samuel Floyd
- Fred Herndon
- George Palmer
- James and Doretha Reed
- Mary Anne Tolbert
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Trent House Trustees Patricia Atkins and Jocelyn Francis-White initiated and led the project. In 2020 they participated in the first cohort of the Community History Program offered by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, holding focus groups with community members to test out ideas for the project and designing the interview protocol. Through their close connections in the Trenton community, they identified and recruited interviewees and conducted the initial in-depth interviews.
In 2021 the New Jersey Council for the Humanities awarded the Trent House Association an action grant to engage youth in history through research and development of public history products. |
This project was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in project products do not necessarily represent those of the NEH or NJCH.
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Participating Bonner Scholars have included:
2021-22 Ashauna Francis, Jocelyne Guzman, Olympia Jorji 2022-23 Ashauna Francis, Olympia Jorji, Temilade Martins 2023-24 Yasmin Ruiz, Temilade Martins, Brandi Turner 2024-25 Brandi Turner, Kamilah Smith 2025-26 Brandi Turner, Kamilah Smith |
Beginning in the 2021-2022 academic year, students in the Bonner Scholar Program at The College of New Jersey selected the Trent House Great Migration project as their community service assignment. Ms. Althia Muse, Director of the Bonner Institute at the Center for Community Engagement at the College, provided guidance and support to the students and to the Trent House project team.
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Students in the Mercer County Community College's TRIO Upward Bound Program also reviewed recordings and transcripts to develop presentations summarizing key events and reflections for several of the Great Migration interviews. Participating Upward Bound students have included:
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Several Great Migration stories are presented on the following pages:
James Allen, Alex Bethea, Samuel Floyd, and James and Doretha Reed.
James Allen, Alex Bethea, Samuel Floyd, and James and Doretha Reed.
