TERRE HAUTE —
Isabel Wilkerson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling author, told a Terre Haute audience Tuesday about a chapter in U.S. history that is often overlooked but that shaped the 20th century and continues to influence American culture today.
It is the story of the migration of 6 million African Americans who left their homes in the sharply segregated South for new homes in the north between World War I until the 1970s. The migration, portrayed in her book, “The Warmth of Other Suns,” affected all regions of the U.S., including Indiana, she said.
“This is not ancient history,” Wilkerson noted. “It’s living history.”
Because of the Jim Crow caste system in the South, this was the first and only time in U.S. history American citizens had to flee their homes to be recognized as citizens somewhere else, Wilkerson said.
Those migrating were attracted by employment opportunities made available by a shortage of European immigrants in the North during the first world war, she said.
In some cases, white southerners attempted to stop the outmigration, Wilkerson said. Fleeing African Americans, who were needed as low-cost farm labor, were arrested at train stations. Others fled the South under the cover of night, she said.
“This was, in some ways, a defection against a caste system,” she said.
Wilkerson spoke to a packed University Hall on the ISU campus. Her approximately 90-minute presentation was part of the University Speakers Series and was cosponsored by the Charles E. Brown African American Cultural Center and the ISU history department.
Wilkerson has been speaking to audiences about her 2010 book all across the globe. In making those talks, she said she has come to discover more fully the importance of the migration she describes. It changed the face of the South and the North, she said. Indeed, it changed American culture by freeing talented people to make an impact on the world outside of southern farm fields.
One such product of the migration was a man named James Cleveland Owens, whose sharecropper parents left Alabama early in the last century when he was just a boy. At an elementary school in Cleveland, the boy’s teacher mistakenly called him “Jessie,” and the name stuck. He would later become a gold medalist in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, winning as Adolf Hitler watched.
“He was not fit for the [farm] field,” Wilkerson said of Owens, who was considered too sickly as a child for field labor. “He was fit for another field: track and field.”
Owens is just one of countless examples of African Americans whose families moved north during this great migration, Wilkerson said. She noted others such as Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, jazzist John Coltrane, guitarist Jimi Hendrix and Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records.
“They freed themselves,” Wilkerson said. “These people are gifts to the world.”
All of us are products of similar decisions by ancestors to leave their homes for a new place far away, Wilkerson said. In that way, the story of the African American migration of the 20th Century is a story about all of us.
“This is a universal, human story,” she said.
Reporter Arthur Foulkes can be reached at 812-231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
News
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza It's been around the world: Author Isabel Wilkerson displays her copy of “The Warmth of Other Suns” during her presentation Tuesday on the Indiana State University campus.
Discussion
The great migration
Little-known part of history still vital to U.S. culture, ISU speaker says
- News
-
-
Youth gets ride of a life
“He’ll just never forget this day,” Stacey Manley said, a little bit tearfully, as she watched her smiling 6-year-old son Carter sitting happily in the captain’s seat of Fire Engine 2.
-
Casey aims for another record
The town of Casey, Ill., may soon weave its way into the record books as the small town with the most world records.
-
Rose projects boost to rehab efforts
Life changed dramatically for college engineering student Drew Christy on Feb. 22, 2008 when he was involved in an auto accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
-
‘500’ gas stations being sold to Speedway LLC
After several decades in business, the area’s familiar “500” gasoline stations and convenience stores will soon be missing from the roadsides of Vigo and Sullivan counties.
-
Terre Haute woman faces 14 charges
A Terre Haute woman faces 14 criminal counts after her arrest Friday on drug-related charges.
-
Two adults injured in ATV accident
Two adults were injured Sunday evening while riding an all-terrain vehicle near Lexington Farms Subdivision off Moyer Drive in southern Vigo County.
-
Vigo schools’ medical claims down more than $10M
The Vigo County School Corp.’s medical claims were about $13 million over the last 12 months, down 4 percent from the prior year, said Diane Titchenell, an Anthem account manager that works with the school district.
-
2013 Government Directory now available
The 2013 Government Directory is now available.
-
Life-Size Ping Pong: Valley pickleball tourney draws large crowd to Brittlebank Park
It’s been described as “ping pong on steroids.”
Some people call it “life-size ping pong where you stand on the table.” -
Boat trip aims to raise awareness about Lewy Body Dementia
In 2013, the Year of the River, it makes sense to link a grand adventure on the Wabash River with a good cause.
-
Legislature had little taste for alcohol bills
When it comes to alcohol, the 2013 legislative session may be marked more by what it didn’t do to boost booze sales than what it did.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Is it regulation that doesn’t make sense or evening the playing field?
I’m not much of a drinker, so I haven’t spent much time thinking about how Indiana’s alcohol laws personally impact me, but that changed last fall when my daughter got married.
-
For Piper: Annual ‘Rush the Punter’ event dedicated to Dixie Bee student who died Wednesday after a short illness
Steve Weatherford’s “Rush the Punter” fundraiser at Fairbanks Park on Saturday was dedicated to a little girl who lost her life unexpectedly to pneumonia.
-
Vigo schools prepare to tighten belts
State funding for the Vigo County School Corp. will remain “pretty flat” for the next two years, said Donna Wilson, chief financial officer.
-
Veterans take to the trees
Cristal Bednar took photos of her husband, Justin, as he laboriously climbed his way up a “Dangle-Duo” to get to a zipline at Indiana State University’s Sycamore Outdoor Center.
-
Property owner seeks halt to Hulman Lake dam project
A Terre Haute property owner is seeking an injunction that would at least temporarily halt the city’s work on the Hulman Lake dam project.
-
Tornado veterans balance preparedness, practicality
Few things in nature are less predictable than a tornado. They can form quickly. They strike weirdly, leveling one building while leaving its neighbor untouched. They can fling a car a half-mile and turn a piece of lumber into a wall-piercing missile.
-
ISU unveils interactive Bayh Family Legacy Wall at school
A who’s who of Indiana Democrats paid tribute to Evan Bayh and several generations of the Bayh family Friday during a dedication of a new interactive display at Indiana State University.
-
Can you smell me now?
A contraband cell phone has been discovered by the Vigo County Jail’s youngest and most unique officer.
-
GIVING BACK: Steve Weatherford buys shoes for kids day before charity run
Terre Haute’s Steve Weatherford, punter for the 2012 Super Bowl champion New York Giants, showed once again his generosity Friday by donating new athletic shoes to more than two dozen Vigo County kids.
-
N.Y. Giants honor Weatherford as ‘Man of the Year’
Dan Tanoos, superintendent of Vigo County schools, remembers the first time he saw Steve Weatherford as a freshman at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
-
Sunday recital at The Woods
A recital featuring songs from well-known composers is at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
-
Police investigating rash of car window shootings
Terre Haute Police are investigating a rash of shootings that have shattered car windows throughout the city.
-
City hospitals get passing grades for patient safety
Two Terre Haute hospitals have been ranked for patient safety by an independent organization that assesses safety, quality and affordability of healthcare for Americans.
-
Three from Operation Turn and Burn sentenced in federal court
Three co-conspirators in a Wabash Valley methamphetamine trafficking ring were sentenced this week to several years in federal prison.
-
Skateboarders, BMX bike riders working to improve area of city park they use
The sound of small wheels rolling across smooth concrete fills the air, accented by the clacking noise of a wooden skateboard coming to an instant stop on a metal edge before rolling on again.
-
Indiana State to host 2014 MVC baseball tourney
Build it… and they will come. The Missouri Valley Conference and Indiana State University made that famous line from the movie “Fields Of Dreams” reality Thursday.
-
Overlay recommended for 812 area code
The state agency that represents Hoosier utility customers is calling for a ten-digit solution to southern Indiana’s vanishing supply of 812 area code telephone numbers.
-
Elementary school saddened by student’s death
A 9-year-old Dixie Bee Elementary student died unexpectedly Wednesday evening as the result of pneumonia, said Vigo County Coroner Susan Amos on Thursday.
-
Vermillion CSX crossings undergoing maintenance
CSX maintenance crews are working on railroad crossings between Dana and Chrisman, Ill. this week and next, a CSX official said Thursday.
- More News Headlines
-
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Raw: House Burns After Massive Oklahoma Tornado
Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood
Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado
Split-second Choice Ended With NY Student Dead
White House Backs 'Shield Law' for Media
RAW: TV Staff Take Cover From Tornado
Raw: Swarm of Tornadoes Slams Plains
Raw: Suspects Butt Dial 911, Lead to Arrest
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
Tornadoes, Storms Strike Midwest
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
Raw: Okla. Tornado Aftermath 'Like War Zone'
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City
Commuters Face Delays After Conn. Train Accident
Pug Life on Display at Wisconsin Festival
Analyst: Tumblr Fills Void in Yahoo's Offerings
'Babyland': Camp Lejeune's Toxic Legacy?
RAW: Moore, OK tornado touches down near school
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
Robert Pattinson Moves Out
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
Oklahoma tornado survivor: "Everything is gone"
Khloe Lashes Out at Kim Kardashian's Critics
Couple Argues As Woman's Lover Crawls Out Window
RAW: Brad Paisley Forgets Lyrics To His Own Song
Justin Bieber Gets Booed
New 'Anchorman 2' Trailer, Drake Joins List of Rumored Cameos
Eva Longoria's Wardrobe Malfunction
Heat Star Dwyane Wade Surprises Coral Gables Teen At Prom
Steak n' Shake waitress scores huge tip
Singer Miguel Accidentally Lands on Fan At Billboard Music Awards
Celebs Celebrate the Rise of the Side Butt
Grizzly bear gets up close and personal with camera
Justin Bieber Gets Booed After Winning at the Billboard Awards
Singer forgets lyrics, makes up words to National Anthem
