TEDWomen 2017
Isabel Wilkerson: The Great Migration and the power of a single decision
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Sometimes, a single decision can change the course of history. Join journalist and author Isabel Wilkerson as she tells the story of the Great Migration, the outpouring of six million African Americans from the Jim Crow South to cities in the North and West between World War I and the 1970s. This was the first time in American history that the lowest caste people signaled they had options and were willing to take them -- and the first time they had a chance to choose for themselves what they would do with their innate talents, Wilkerson explains. "These people, by their actions, were able to do what the powers that be, North and South, could not or would not do," she says. "They freed themselves."
Isabel Wilkerson - Journalist, author
The author of "The Warmth of Other Suns," the story of the Great Migration, Isabel Wilkerson is a Pulitzer-winning journalist who uses narrative history to bring to light our shared humanity. Full bio
The author of "The Warmth of Other Suns," the story of the Great Migration, Isabel Wilkerson is a Pulitzer-winning journalist who uses narrative history to bring to light our shared humanity. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
Imagine with me this scene.
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It's a scene that played out
in nearly all of our families.
in nearly all of our families.
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It's a scene in which a young person,
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somewhere in our family tree,
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somewhere in our lineage
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had a heartbreaking decision to make.
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It was a decision to leave all
that they had known.
that they had known.
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And all of the people that they had loved
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and to set out for a place far, far away
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that they had never seen
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in hopes that life might be better.
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Migration is usually
a young person's endeavor.
a young person's endeavor.
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It's the kind of thing that you do
when you're on the cusp of life.
when you're on the cusp of life.
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And so, there is, in all of our families,
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this young person
somewhere in our background.
somewhere in our background.
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That person is standing at a dock,
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about to board a ship
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that will cross the Atlantic
or the Pacific Ocean.
or the Pacific Ocean.
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That person is loading up a truck
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that will cross the Rio Grande.
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Or that person is standing
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at a railroad platform
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about to board a train
that will cross rivers and mountains
that will cross rivers and mountains
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out of the Jim Crow South
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to what they hope
will be freedom in the North.
will be freedom in the North.
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And there, with this young person
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as they are about to board that ship,
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that boat,
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that truck, that train,
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are the people who raised them.
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Their mother, their father,
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their aunt, their uncle,
their grandparents,
their grandparents,
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whoever it might have been
who had gotten them to this point.
who had gotten them to this point.
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Those older people
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were not going to be able
to make the crossing with them.
to make the crossing with them.
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And as they looked into the eyes
of the people who had raised them,
of the people who had raised them,
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there was no guarantee
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that they would ever see them alive again.
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Remember, there was no Skype,
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no e-mail, no cell phones
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not even reliable long-distance
telephone service.
telephone service.
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And even if there had been,
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many of the people that they were leaving
did not even have telephones.
did not even have telephones.
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This was going to be a complete break
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from all that they knew
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and all of the people that they loved.
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And the very next time
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that they might hear anything
about the people who had raised them
about the people who had raised them
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might be a telegram saying,
"Your father has passed away."
"Your father has passed away."
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Or, "Your mother is very, very ill.
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You must return home quickly
if you are to see her alive again."
if you are to see her alive again."
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That is the magnitude of the sacrifice
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that had to have happened
in nearly all of our families
in nearly all of our families
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just for us to be here.
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A single decision
that changed the course of families
that changed the course of families
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and lineages and countries and history
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to the current day.
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One of these migration streams
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stands out in ways
that we may not realize.
that we may not realize.
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It was called the Great Migration.
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It was the outpouring
of six million African Americans
of six million African Americans
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from the Jim Crow South
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to the cities of the North and West,
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from the time of World War I
until the 1970s.
until the 1970s.
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It stands out because this
was the first time in American history
was the first time in American history
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that American citizens
had to flee the land of their birth
had to flee the land of their birth
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just to be recognized as the citizens
that they had always been.
that they had always been.
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No other group of Americans
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has had to act like immigrants
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in order to be recognized as citizens.
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So this great migration was not a move.
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It was actually a seeking
of political asylum
of political asylum
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within the borders of one's own country.
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They were defecting a caste system
known as Jim Crow.
known as Jim Crow.
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It was an artificial hierarchy
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in which everything
that you could and could not do
that you could and could not do
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was based upon what you looked like.
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This caste system was so arcane
that it was actually against the law
that it was actually against the law
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for a black person and a white person
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to merely play checkers
together in Birmingham.
together in Birmingham.
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You could go to jail
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if you were caught playing checkers
with a person of a different race.
with a person of a different race.
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Someone must have seen
a black person and a white person
a black person and a white person
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playing checkers with someone
in some town square.
in some town square.
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And maybe the wrong person was winning
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or they were having too good of a time,
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but whatever it was that this person saw,
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with this black person
and this white person playing checkers,
and this white person playing checkers,
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they felt the entire foundation
of Southern civilization was in peril.
of Southern civilization was in peril.
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And decided that it was worth
taking the time
taking the time
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to write this down as a law.
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This caste system was so arcane
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that in courtrooms throughout the South
there was actually a black Bible
there was actually a black Bible
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and an altogether separate white Bible
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to swear to tell the truth on in court.
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The very word of God was segregated
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in the caste system of the Jim Crow South.
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The same sacred object
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could not be touched
by hands of different races.
by hands of different races.
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This artificial hierarchy,
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because it goes against
human desires to be free,
human desires to be free,
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required a tremendous amount
of violence to maintain.
of violence to maintain.
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Such that every four days,
somewhere in the American South,
somewhere in the American South,
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every four days
an African American was lynched
an African American was lynched
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for some perceived breach of protocol
in this caste system
in this caste system
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in the decades leading up
to the start of the Great Migration.
to the start of the Great Migration.
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This caste system had been put in place
for many, many reasons.
for many, many reasons.
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But one of them was to maintain
the economic order of the South,
the economic order of the South,
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which required not just
a supply of cheap labor
a supply of cheap labor
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but an oversupply of cheap labor
to work at the will of the land.
to work at the will of the land.
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This Great Migration began
when the North had a labor problem.
when the North had a labor problem.
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The North had a labor problem
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because it had been relying
on cheap labor from Europe --
on cheap labor from Europe --
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immigrants from Europe --
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to work the factories and the foundries
and the steel mills.
and the steel mills.
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But during World War I,
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migration from Europe
came to a virtual halt.
came to a virtual halt.
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And so the North had a labor problem.
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And so the North decided to go
and find the cheapest labor in the land
and find the cheapest labor in the land
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which meant African Americans
in the South,
in the South,
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many of whom were not even being paid
for their hard work.
for their hard work.
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Many of them were working
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for the right to live on the land
that they were farming.
that they were farming.
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They were sharecroppers
and not even being paid.
and not even being paid.
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So they were ripe for recruitment.
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But it turned out
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that the South did not take kindly
to this poaching of its cheap labor.
to this poaching of its cheap labor.
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The South actually did everything it could
to keep the people from leaving.
to keep the people from leaving.
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They would arrest people
from the railroad platforms.
from the railroad platforms.
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Remember, putatively free
American citizens.
American citizens.
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They would arrest them
from their train seats.
from their train seats.
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And when there were too many
people to arrest,
people to arrest,
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they would wave the train on through
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so that people who had been hoping
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and saving
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and praying for the chance
to get to freedom
to get to freedom
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had to figure out:
How now will we get out?
How now will we get out?
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And as they made their way
out of the South,
out of the South,
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away from Jim Crow,
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they followed three
beautifully predictable streams
beautifully predictable streams
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as is the case in any migration
throughout human history.
throughout human history.
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In this particular case,
there were three streams.
there were three streams.
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One was the migration along the East Coast
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from Florida, Georgia,
the Carolinas and Virginia
the Carolinas and Virginia
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to Washington DC, to Philadelphia,
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New Jersey, New York
and on up the East coast.
and on up the East coast.
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There was the Midwest stream,
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which carried people
from Mississippi, Alabama,
from Mississippi, Alabama,
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Tennessee and Arkansas
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to Chicago, to Detroit,
to Cleveland and the entire Midwest.
to Cleveland and the entire Midwest.
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And then there was the West Coast stream,
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which carried people
from Louisiana and Texas
from Louisiana and Texas
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out to California.
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And when they really wanted to get away,
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they went to Seattle.
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And when they really, really
wanted to get away,
wanted to get away,
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they went to Alaska,
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the farthest possible point
within the borders of the United States
within the borders of the United States
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from Jim Crow South.
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Before the Great Migration began,
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90 percent of all African Americans
were living in the South.
were living in the South.
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Nearly held captive in the South.
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But by the time
this Great Migration was over,
this Great Migration was over,
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nearly half were living
all over the rest of the country.
all over the rest of the country.
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So this ended up being
nearly a complete redistribution
nearly a complete redistribution
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of part of an entire people.
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This Great Migration was the first time
in American history
in American history
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that the lowest caste people
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signaled that they had options
and were willing to take them.
and were willing to take them.
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That had not happened
in the three centuries
in the three centuries
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in which African Americans
had been on that soil at that time.
had been on that soil at that time.
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It had not happened
in 12 generations of enslavement
in 12 generations of enslavement
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that preceded
nearly a century of Jim Crow.
nearly a century of Jim Crow.
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How many "greats"
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do you have to add
to the word "grandparent"
to the word "grandparent"
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to begin to imagine how long
enslavement lasted in the United States?
enslavement lasted in the United States?
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Secondly, this Great Migration
was the first time in American history
was the first time in American history
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that the lowest caste people
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actually had a chance
to choose for themselves
to choose for themselves
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what they would do
with their God-given talents
with their God-given talents
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and where they would pursue them.
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Think about those cotton fields
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and those rice plantations
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and those tobacco fields
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and those sugar plantations.
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On those sugar plantations,
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and on those tobacco fields,
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and on those rice plantations,
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and on those cotton fields
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were opera singers,
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jazz musicians,
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playwrights,
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novelists,
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surgeons,
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attorneys,
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accountants,
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professors,
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journalists.
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And how do we know that?
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We know that because that is
what they and their children
what they and their children
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and now their grandchildren
and even great-grandchildren
and even great-grandchildren
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have often chosen to become
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once they had the chance
to choose for themselves
to choose for themselves
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what they would do
with their God-given talents.
with their God-given talents.
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Without the Great Migration,
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there might not have been
a Toni Morrison as we now know her to be.
a Toni Morrison as we now know her to be.
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Her parents were from Alabama
and from Georgia.
and from Georgia.
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They migrated to Ohio,
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where their daughter
would get to do something
would get to do something
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that we all take for granted
at this point,
at this point,
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but which was against the law
and against protocol for African Americans
and against protocol for African Americans
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at the time that she would have been
growing up in the South,
growing up in the South,
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had they stayed.
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And that is just to walk into a library
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and take out a library book.
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Merely by making
the single decision to leave,
the single decision to leave,
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her parents assured that their daughter
would get access to books.
would get access to books.
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And if you're going to become
a Nobel laureate,
a Nobel laureate,
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it helps to get a book now and then.
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You know, it helps.
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Music as we know it was reshaped
by the Great Migration.
by the Great Migration.
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As they came North,
they brought with them,
they brought with them,
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on their hearts and in their memories,
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the music that had sustained
the ancestors --
the ancestors --
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the blues music, the spirituals
and the gospel music
and the gospel music
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that had sustained them
through the generations.
through the generations.
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And they converted this music
into whole new genres of music.
into whole new genres of music.
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And got the chance to record this music,
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this new music that they were creating,
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and to spread it throughout the world.
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Without the Great Migration,
"Motown" would not have existed.
"Motown" would not have existed.
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The founder, Berry Gordy,
his parents were from Georgia.
his parents were from Georgia.
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They migrated to Detroit.
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And when he got to be a grown man,
he decided he wanted to go into music.
he decided he wanted to go into music.
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But he didn't have the wherewithal
to go all over the country
to go all over the country
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looking for the best talent,
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and it turned out he didn't have to.
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It turned out that there he was,
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surrounded by children
of the Great Migration
of the Great Migration
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whose parents had brought this music up
with them during the journey.
with them during the journey.
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And among those children
were these three girls,
were these three girls,
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there was Mary Wilson,
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Florence Ballard
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and there was a third one:
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Diana Ross.
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We might not know Diana Ross' name
had there been no Great Migration.
had there been no Great Migration.
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Because like a lot of Americans
and a lot of human beings in general,
and a lot of human beings in general,
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she might not have existed
because her parents might not have met.
because her parents might not have met.
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Her mother was from Alabama,
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father from West Virginia,
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they migrated to Detroit, different years,
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met, married, had her and her siblings,
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14:51
and thus a legend was born.
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Jazz was a creation
of the Great Migration.
of the Great Migration.
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And one of the greatest gifts
of the Great Migration.
of the Great Migration.
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15:02
Starting with Louis Armstrong,
who was born in Louisiana
who was born in Louisiana
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and migrated on the Illinois
Central Railroad to Chicago,
Central Railroad to Chicago,
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15:10
where he got the chance
to build on the talent
to build on the talent
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15:13
that was within him all along.
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15:16
Miles Davis.
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His parents were from Arkansas.
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15:19
They migrated to southern Illinois,
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15:22
where he would get the chance
to build on the talents
to build on the talents
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15:25
that were within him all along
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15:27
but which could have gone fallow
in the cotton country of Arkansas.
in the cotton country of Arkansas.
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15:34
John Coltrane.
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15:36
He migrated at the age of 16
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15:38
from North Carolina to Philadelphia,
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15:42
where, upon arrival in Philadelphia,
he got his first alto sax.
he got his first alto sax.
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15:47
And there are lovers of jazz
who cannot imagine a world
who cannot imagine a world
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15:50
without John Coltrane
having gotten a hold of a saxophone.
having gotten a hold of a saxophone.
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15:56
Thelonious Monk.
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15:58
Michael Jackson.
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16:00
Jesse Owens.
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16:01
Prince.
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16:03
August Wilson.
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16:04
Richard Wright.
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16:05
Ralph Ellison.
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16:07
Michelle Obama.
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16:09
These are all a few
of the millions of people
of the millions of people
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16:15
who were products
of the single decision to migrate.
of the single decision to migrate.
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The people of the Great Migration
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16:22
met with tremendous
resistance in the North.
resistance in the North.
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16:25
And they were not able to defeat
all social injustice.
all social injustice.
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16:31
But one person
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16:33
added to another person,
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2095
16:35
added to another person,
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1643
16:36
multiplied by millions,
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3055
16:39
were able to become the advance guard
of the civil rights movement.
of the civil rights movement.
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16:45
One person added to another person,
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2881
16:48
added to another person,
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16:50
multiplied by millions,
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16:51
acting on a single decision,
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16:53
were able to change the region
that they had been forced to flee.
that they had been forced to flee.
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17:00
They had more power in leaving
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2943
17:03
than by staying.
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17:06
By their actions,
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17:08
these people who had absolutely nothing
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17:11
were able to do what a president
of the United States,
of the United States,
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17:15
Abraham Lincoln, was not able to do.
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17:19
These people, by their actions,
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17:22
were able to do
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17:23
what the Emancipation
Proclamation could not do.
Proclamation could not do.
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17:28
These people, by their actions,
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3373
17:31
were able to do what the powers that be,
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3399
17:35
North and South,
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2325
17:37
could not or would not do.
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17:41
They freed themselves.
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Thank you.
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17:45
(Applause)
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Thank you.
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17:52
(Applause)
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1060422
1935
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Isabel Wilkerson - Journalist, authorThe author of "The Warmth of Other Suns," the story of the Great Migration, Isabel Wilkerson is a Pulitzer-winning journalist who uses narrative history to bring to light our shared humanity.
Why you should listen
Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson devoted 15 years to the research and writing of The Warmth of Other Suns. She interviewed more than 1,200 people, unearthed archival works and gathered the voices of the famous and the unknown to tell the epic story of the Great Migration, one of the biggest underreported stories of the 20th century and one of the largest migrations in American history.
The book was named to more than 30 Best of the Year lists, won the National Book Critics Circle Award, among other honors, and made national news when President Obama chose it for summer reading in 2011. In 2012, the New York Times named The Warmth of Other Suns to its list of the best nonfiction books of all time.
Wilkerson won the Pulitzer Prize for her work as Chicago Bureau Chief of the New York Times, making her the first black woman in the history of American journalism to win a Pulitzer and the first African-American to win for individual reporting.
Isabel Wilkerson | Speaker | TED.com