Warmth Of Other Suns By Isabel Wilkerson: An Analysis

The great black migration occurred in two different between 1910 and 1970. This was the movement of millions of black people migrating to the north and west seeking better conditions than that of the south. These people were trying to escape Jim Crow segregation for better opportunity in jobs, education, and living conditions. In many ways this was beneficial to the black man in comparison to staying in the south. In the book ‘Warmth of Other Suns’ by Isabel Wilkerson focused on three emigrants that had left during the great black migration. Robert Foster was a well educated black doctor from Louisiana, which migrated to California to practice his medicine. It mentions that the people who migrated from the south, “represented the most educated

segment of the southern black population” and that they “averaged nearly two more years of completed schooling” in comparison to those who stayed ( pg. 262). This education is an important positive factor of the great black migration.

In class we discussed a series of push and pull factors that contributed to the great black migration.

In the book ‘Warmth of Other Suns’ by Isabel Wilkerson listed a series of these factors that contributed. Documented post World War I by the Chicago Commission on Race Relations reasons for migration were as following persuaded by friends, better wages, more work, better conditions, to get away from the south, and other economic and freedom situations. At this time sharecropping was a source of work in the south that left renters in poverty. The conditions that black were living in were not suitable for man. In addition, the agriculture economy was failing according to ‘Warmth of Other Suns’, “boll weevil that tore through the cotton fields and left them without work and in even greater misery...” (pg. 216-217) Also, during this time Jim Crow segregation made it very difficult for the black man to be hired equally, or hired at all. The north and areas in the west were depicted as a land with greater opportunity and freedom. However, we should not get confused about the North; it was still racist and conditions of living were not equal. In comparison to the south, the north was still a better solution for living. Another, huge contributor as a push factor is violence that left fear in black communities of the south. At this time many racial violent groups were terrorizing blacks, such as lynching, beatings, burning of homes, and taunting. Some lynching was made public to show blacks what could happen to

them.

The consequences of the great black migration had both positive and negative effects on the North. The types of positive effects we see are in culture, such as music, arts, theatre, and poetry. The Harlem Renaissance was a literary, artistic, and intellectual movement that identified the black culture. This is a positive attribute that came out of the great black migration. In addition, the start of the civil rights movement can be associated with the great black migration. The negative effects on the north primarily occurred in urban cities. Industrialization period, large cities drew in a mass amount of black emigrants to work in large factors, such as automotive and steel. Once deindustrialization occurred this left black communities without jobs forcing them into poverty. Since, the north had forced majority of emigrants into black only communities they were over-crowed living again in poor conditions. Many of these communities are still left in high poverty as the middle class and rich were able to escape following the fall of industry.