Exodus from Dixie: The Great Migration as a Social Movement

Between 1915 and 1930 over 1.5 million African Americans fled the U.S. south for northern and western cities locales. Just ten years later, another six million would begin the same trek in search of a better life. This epic migration literally changed the complexion of America. But why did it take place? The Boston Athenaeum is pleased to welcome author DAVARIAN BALDWIN to explore this question.

DAVARIAN BALDWIN is the Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of American Studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He is the author of Chicago’s New Negroes: Modernity, the Great Migration, and Black Urban Life (2007) and co-editor of the essay collection, Escape From New York: The New Negro Renaissance beyond Harlem (2013). Baldwin is currently at work on two new projects, Land of Darkness: Chicago and the Making of Race in Modern America and In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower: How Higher Education is Transforming Urban America.

Reception to follow the event. Registration is required for both. Members: $15 and non-members: $20.

This event is the first program in “The American Dream” series, which explores how our conceptions of the American Dream are shaped or negated.