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Painter Jacob Lawrence did a famous painting series on this migration.
Interesting painting, it reminds me of my grandfather who worked as a stationary engineer for the Illinois Central in New Orleans. There were three passenger trains that left New Orleans, the Sunset, and Panama Limited and the Southern Crescent. The Sunset Limited went from New Orleans to Los Angeles, the Panama Limited to Chicago and the Crescent went to the District of Columbia.
I mention this because over the years I have noted a pattern amongst African Americans that closely emulates the path of those three trains. Most African Americans that I have known on the West Coast are from Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi; those in Chicago are from Louisiana Mississippi and Arkansas; while those in the Northeast are from Louisiana, Mississippi, the Carolinas and Virginia, the respective routes of the three trains.
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In my town in Georgia alot of Blacks are related to people in Dayton Ohio. I know a family around here who's related to one of the members of the funk band Lakeside who are from Dayton. From what I've heard the southern accents didn't change too mcuh for those who went to the west coast
Great video and one of my favorite historical topics.
Ovacatto, you bring up a very interesting point about the migration. As a resident of NC I am quite familar with the Crescent and didn't really notice its significane outside of the state until you mentioned it. Great eye for detail.
In Chicago at 12th St. and Michigan where the old IC station used to be is a historical marker about the end of the "Blues Trail" with info about the many Blues players who arrived there from Mississippi, Louisiana and thereabouts. Several blocks south on Michigan is the old Chess studio which is now a museum. And just a couple of blocks north is Buddy Guy's joint.
Most of the Blacks in my trade here whom I've asked about their roots have them in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and western Tennessee.
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