About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherOxford University Press, Incorporated

ISBN-100197614442

ISBN-139780197614440

eBay Product ID (ePID)8058368796

Product Key Features

Number of Pages240 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication NameNorth to Boston : Life Histories from the Black Great Migration in New England

Publication Year2023

SubjectGenealogy & Heraldry, Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies)

TypeNot Available

Subject AreaReference, History

AuthorBlake Gumprecht

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.8 in

Item Weight16.8 Oz

Item Length8.8 in

Item Width6.4 in

Additional Product Features

LCCN2022-039018

Dewey Edition23/eng/20220823

Reviews"Recommended. General readers and undergraduates." -- Choice"Drawing on the life stories of men and women of a Roxbury church, Gumprecht offers a much-needed window on southern Black migration to Boston. Filling a glaring gap in the city's African American history, these stories vividly recount how migrants negotiated the transition from the segregated South to the urban North just as the country was grappling with the momentous changes spurred by the civil rights movement." -- Marilynn S. Johnson, Author of The New Bostonians: How Immigrants Have Transformed the Metro Area Since the 1960s"Boston's Black population grew from 23,000 in 1940 to 104,000 in 1970. The published histories of Black Boston have focused on statistical indicators and on the stories of its famous and remarkable individuals. The vast majority-the people who make it a community-are almost never named. This volume begins to change that emphasis. Let us hope that these studies of 10 ordinary people are the beginning of extraordinary studies of the majority of Black folk in Boston and elsewhere." -- Byron Rushing, Former President, Museum of African American History"North to Boston tells the important stories of ten of the tens of thousands of African Americans who were part of a till-now unexplored migration from the South to a northern city. Through the greater freedom and opportunity that they found and the work ethic and faith that they brought, these ten people built better lives and helped make 'cold roast Boston' a richer and warmer place." -- Jim Vrabel, Author of A People's History of the New Boston, "Recommended. General readers and undergraduates." -- Choice"Drawing on the life stories of men and women of a Roxbury church, Gumprecht offers a much-needed window on southern Black migration to Boston. Filling a glaring gap in the city's African American history, these stories vividly recount how migrants negotiated the transition from the segregated South to the urban North just as the country was grappling with the momentous changes spurred by the civil rights movement." -- Marilynn S. Johnson, Author of The New Bostonians: How Immigrants Have Transformed the Metro Area Since the 1960s"Boston's Black population grew from 23,000 in 1940 to 104,000 in 1970. The published histories of Black Boston have focused on statistical indicators and on the stories of its famous and remarkable individuals. The vast majority-the people who make it a community-are almost never named. This volume begins to change that emphasis. Let us hope that these studies of 10 ordinary people are the beginning of extraordinary studies of the majority of Black folk in Boston and elsewhere." -- Byron Rushing, Former President, Museum of African American History"North to Boston tells the important stories of ten of the tens of thousands of African Americans who were part of a till-now unexplored migration from the South to a northern city. Through the greater freedom and opportunity that they found and the work ethic and faith that they brought, these ten people built better lives and helped make 'cold roast Boston' a richer and warmer place." -- Jim Vrabel, Author of A People's History of the New Boston"In this fine, detailed treatment of 10 individuals who migrated north, readers learn of the paradoxes of the migration and the subsequent experiences of living in the North. Moving north did not mean leaving behind racist discrimination, lack of economic opportunity, or even violence. The supposedly progressive Boston, where 19th-century abolitionists protected fleeing enslaved persons in the elite Brahmin enclave of Beacon Hill, was not what many experienced, and they suffered also from the disdain of the earlier settled Black population. Most of the stories...are positive, proud stories of carving out a solid life in Boston, raising families, working hard, gaining the respect of their peers, and leading lives of faith. Recommended." -- Choice, "Drawing on the life stories of men and women of a Roxbury church, Gumprecht offers a much-needed window on southern Black migration to Boston. Filling a glaring gap in the city's African American history, these stories vividly recount how migrants negotiated the transition from the segregated South to the urban North just as the country was grappling with the momentous changes spurred by the civil rights movement." -- Marilynn S. Johnson, Author of The New Bostonians: How Immigrants Have Transformed the Metro Area Since the 1960s"Boston's Black population grew from 23,000 in 1940 to 104,000 in 1970. The published histories of Black Boston have focused on statistical indicators and on the stories of its famous and remarkable individuals. The vast majority-the people who make it a community-are almost never named. This volume begins to change that emphasis. Let us hope that these studies of 10 ordinary people are the beginning of extraordinary studies of the majority of Black folk in Boston and elsewhere." -- Byron Rushing, Former President, Museum of African American History"North to Boston tells the important stories of ten of the tens of thousands of African Americans who were part of a till-now unexplored migration from the South to a northern city. Through the greater freedom and opportunity that they found and the work ethic and faith that they brought, these ten people built better lives and helped make 'cold roast Boston' a richer and warmer place." -- Jim Vrabel, Author of A People's History of the New BostonIn this fine, detailed treatment of 10 individuals who migrated north, readers learn of the paradoxes of the migration and the subsequent experiences of living in the North. Moving north did not mean leaving behind racist discrimination, lack of economic opportunity, or even violence. The supposedly progressive Boston, where 19th-century abolitionists protected fleeing enslaved persons in the elite Brahmin enclave of Beacon Hill, was not what many experienced, and they suffered also from the disdain of the earlier settled Black population. Most of the stories, however, are positive, proud stories of carving out a solid life in Boston, raising families, working hard, gaining the respect of their peers, and leading lives of faith. Their lives as drawn are both ordinary and distinctive. Recommended." -- M. White Choice, "In this fine, detailed treatment of 10 individuals who migrated north, readers learn of the paradoxes of the migration and the subsequent experiences of living in the North. Moving north did not mean leaving behind racist discrimination, lack of economic opportunity, or even violence. The supposedly progressive Boston, where 19th-century abolitionists protected fleeing enslaved persons in the elite Brahmin enclave of Beacon Hill, was not what many experienced,and they suffered also from the disdain of the earlier settled Black population. Most of the stories, however, are positive, proud stories of carving out a solid life in Boston, raising families,working hard, gaining the respect of their peers, and leading lives of faith. Their lives as drawn are both ordinary and distinctive. Recommended." -- M. White Choice"Drawing on the life stories of men and women of a Roxbury church, Gumprecht offers a much-needed window on southern Black migration to Boston. Filling a glaring gap in the city's African American history, these stories vividly recount how migrants negotiated the transition from the segregated South to the urban North just as the country was grappling with the momentous changes spurred by the civil rights movement." -- Marilynn S. Johnson, Author of The NewBostonians: How Immigrants Have Transformed the Metro Area Since the 1960s"Boston's Black population grew from 23,000 in 1940 to 104,000 in 1970. The published histories of Black Boston have focused on statistical indicators and on the stories of its famous and remarkable individuals. The vast majority-the people who make it a community-are almost never named. This volume begins to change that emphasis. Let us hope that these studies of 10 ordinary people are the beginning of extraordinary studies of the majority of Black folk inBoston and elsewhere." -- Byron Rushing, Former President, Museum of African American History"North to Boston tells the important stories of ten of the tens of thousands of African Americans who were part of a till-now unexplored migration from the South to a northern city. Through the greater freedom and opportunity that they found and the work ethic and faith that they brought, these ten people built better lives and helped make 'cold roast Boston' a richer and warmer place." -- Jim Vrabel, Author of A People's History of the NewBoston, In this fine, detailed treatment of 10 individuals who migrated north, readers learn of the paradoxes of the migration and the subsequent experiences of living in the North. Moving north did not mean leaving behind racist discrimination, lack of economic opportunity, or even violence. The supposedly progressive Boston, where 19th-century abolitionists protected fleeing enslaved persons in the elite Brahmin enclave of Beacon Hill, was not what many experienced, and they suffered also from the disdain of the earlier settled Black population. Most of the stories, however, are positive, proud stories of carving out a solid life in Boston, raising families, working hard, gaining the respect of their peers, and leading lives of faith. Their lives as drawn are both ordinary and distinctive. Recommended." -- M. White Choice"Drawing on the life stories of men and women of a Roxbury church, Gumprecht offers a much-needed window on southern Black migration to Boston. Filling a glaring gap in the city's African American history, these stories vividly recount how migrants negotiated the transition from the segregated South to the urban North just as the country was grappling with the momentous changes spurred by the civil rights movement." -- Marilynn S. Johnson, Author of The New Bostonians: How Immigrants Have Transformed the Metro Area Since the 1960s"Boston's Black population grew from 23,000 in 1940 to 104,000 in 1970. The published histories of Black Boston have focused on statistical indicators and on the stories of its famous and remarkable individuals. The vast majority-the people who make it a community-are almost never named. This volume begins to change that emphasis. Let us hope that these studies of 10 ordinary people are the beginning of extraordinary studies of the majority of Black folk in Boston and elsewhere." -- Byron Rushing, Former President, Museum of African American History"North to Boston tells the important stories of ten of the tens of thousands of African Americans who were part of a till-now unexplored migration from the South to a northern city. Through the greater freedom and opportunity that they found and the work ethic and faith that they brought, these ten people built better lives and helped make 'cold roast Boston' a richer and warmer place." -- Jim Vrabel, Author of A People's History of the New Boston, "In this fine, detailed treatment of 10 individuals who migrated north, readers learn of the paradoxes of the migration and the subsequent experiences of living in the North. Moving north did not mean leaving behind racist discrimination, lack of economic opportunity, or even violence. The supposedly progressive Boston, where 19th-century abolitionists protected fleeing enslaved persons in the elite Brahmin enclave of Beacon Hill, was not what many experienced, and they suffered also from the disdain of the earlier settled Black population. Most of the stories, however, are positive, proud stories of carving out a solid life in Boston, raising families, working hard, gaining the respect of their peers, and leading lives of faith. Their lives as drawn are both ordinary and distinctive. Recommended." -- M. White Choice"Drawing on the life stories of men and women of a Roxbury church, Gumprecht offers a much-needed window on southern Black migration to Boston. Filling a glaring gap in the city's African American history, these stories vividly recount how migrants negotiated the transition from the segregated South to the urban North just as the country was grappling with the momentous changes spurred by the civil rights movement." -- Marilynn S. Johnson, Author of The New Bostonians: How Immigrants Have Transformed the Metro Area Since the 1960s"Boston's Black population grew from 23,000 in 1940 to 104,000 in 1970. The published histories of Black Boston have focused on statistical indicators and on the stories of its famous and remarkable individuals. The vast majority-the people who make it a community-are almost never named. This volume begins to change that emphasis. Let us hope that these studies of 10 ordinary people are the beginning of extraordinary studies of the majority of Black folk in Boston and elsewhere." -- Byron Rushing, Former President, Museum of African American History"North to Boston tells the important stories of ten of the tens of thousands of African Americans who were part of a till-now unexplored migration from the South to a northern city. Through the greater freedom and opportunity that they found and the work ethic and faith that they brought, these ten people built better lives and helped make 'cold roast Boston' a richer and warmer place." -- Jim Vrabel, Author of A People's History of the New Boston

IllustratedYes

Dewey Decimal305.896/073074461

Table Of ContentPreface 1. The Great Migration in New England 2. Charles Gordon, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1943 3. Thomas Lindsay, Birmingham, Alabama, 1951 4. Lucy Parham, Morven, North Carolina, 1957 5. Ollie Sumrall Jr., Quitman, Mississippi, 1959 6. Elizabeth Hall Davis, Columbia, South Carolina, 1963 7. Willie Pittman, Shady Grove, Alabama, 1963 8. Geraldine Walker, Clay County, Alabama, 1963 9. Barbra Hicks, Bradford, Alabama, 1964 10. Al Kinnitt Jr., Brunswick, Georgia, 1964 11. Elta Garrett, Sun, Louisiana, 1969 12. Ten Lives, What They Teach Us, and Why They Matter Notes Additional Reading Index

Intended AudienceTrade

SynopsisNorth to Boston tells the life histories of ten Black individuals who moved from the southern United States to Boston, Massachusetts, during the Great Migration. Based on extensive oral history interviews and a creative narrative structure, Gumprecht illuminates this singularly important event in the making of Boston as it exists today., Between World War II and 1980, tens of thousands of Black people moved to Boston from the South as part of the Great Migration, one of the most consequential mass movements of people in American history. Black migration from the South transformed the city, as it did urban areas across the country. North to Boston is the first book to examine that important subject. Blake Gumprecht traces the history of this migration and explores its impacts in greater depth through the lives of ten individuals, each the subject of one chapter. Those chapters are short biographies based on extensive interviews by the author and are told in an engaging style that reflects the author's background as a journalist. The ten people featured came from six southern states. They fled racism, limited opportunity, and hopelessness, and moved north in pursuit of better jobs, equal treatment, and greater freedom. They settled in neighborhoods such as Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan. They worked as teachers, factory workers, welders, and security guards. Their stories are emblematic of the experiences of Black people everywhere who left the South, and provide a rare glimpse into the lives of ordinary people living in one city's Black community. North to Boston brings to life the history of the Great Migration, revealing a hidden aspect of New England's history and shining a spotlight on a singularly important event in the making of Black Boston.

LC Classification NumberF73.9.B53.G867 2022