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Making Our Way
Home: The Great Migration and the Black American Dream
by Blair Imani, illustrated by Rachelle Baker, foreword by
Patrisse Cullors
c.2020, Ten Speed Press
$18.99 / $24.99 Canada
180 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Truth Contributor
You are not safe.
How scary is that? If
someone told you that your life was in danger right now,
and they were serious, what would you do? Where would you
go, and who would you seek for help? In the new book
Making Our Way Home by Blair Imani, your ancestors
may have looked for answers to those questions hundreds of
miles away. |
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In the months after
President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation "marked the
beginning of the end of... slavery in the United States," it
quickly became apparent that equality for black people in
many places wasn't going to happen – in fact, in some areas
of the U.S., racism and Jim Crow laws kept even the smallest
advantage out of the reach of newly-freed slaves. It was
frustrating, disorienting, and it could be dangerous: people
were sometimes lynched and killed just for living their
lives.
At around the turn of the
last century, black Americans began to hear that life in the
North and West was better – maybe not totally equal, but
jobs were plentiful, decent housing was easier to get,
education was available for black children, and some
companies even helped black workers get settled in a new
life. Tens of thousands of black Southerners headed to New
York, Chicago, and parts North, while others went to
California and Oklahoma.
When World War I began,
black soldiers did their part in the effort and were proud
to do it. After they came home, though, they were
disappointed to see that nothing had changed at all; the
same thing happened at the end of World War II, after men
and women alike served at home and abroad: inequality was
still in force here in the States. This started the "second
wave" of the Great Migration: at the end of both wars, black
Americans headed North and West, including black musicians,
singers, athletes, writers, and scholars.
And yet, there was still
"disillusionment and frustration," at continued inequality,
which "laid the foundation of the Civil Rights movement"...
Much as you hate to judge
a book by its cover (weren't we warned about that?), it may
be hard for your child not to do with Making Our Way Home.
On the outside, this book
looks an awful lot like a text book. That's unfortunate,
because author Blair Imani packs a superb amount of story
inside the covers, and history isn't the only thing your
child will get here. Imani also writes about the people who
migrated, moves which opened doors for their unique talents.
She includes LGBTQ individuals and those outside the
mainstream. Kids will learn about social issues and events
that culturally impacted the Great Migration (which Imani
treats as one event, rather than two "waves"), and the
illustrations by Rachelle Baker are great draws to
empowering stories.
Ultimately, pride emanates
strongly from the pages of Making Our Way Home, and
that should make it easier to get your 10-to-15-year-old
interested, despite the books' academic look. One page is
all it'll take, and enjoyment is a safe bet.
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