The Effects Of Mass Migration

The significant timing of the mass migration of black communities to urban cities created a rare opportunity for African-Americans to escape their bounded poor economic status and instilled hope for them to aspire for more skilled jobs and a better future. During the outbreak of World War I, there was a huge demand for jobs that became opened for African-Americans in industries such as the meatpacking, automobile and railroad. This economic opportunity led to Black migrants employed in higher skilled industries with greater paying scales compared to the south, “In Alabama, unskilled foundry workers earned $2.50 for a ten-hour day. The same workers in Illinois took home $4.25.”. Slowly, black migrants were able to make more money than they have …show more content…
Migration can be described as “People vote with their feet” (Hunter E-book 370) where a mass group of a community moving from one place to another causes a political impact. Firstly, African- Americans individuals were able to gain political power just by the luxury of registering to vote in the North. On a smaller scale, the collective group of black workers in the steel and meatpacking industries wer able to gain political agency and obtain higher skilled jobs that had previously been unavailable to black workers through labor unions such as the Congress of Industrial Organization. Furthermore, due to the African-American’s contribution to the workforce in the North during the war, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an Executive Order 8802, which banned racial discrimination in the workplace in all industries. This order is significant as a first step for not only Black communities receiving justice but also as a platform in gaining more political power. Moreover, during the Great Migration, periodicals such as The Chicago Defender not only became more popular and emphasized southern racial injustice but also, inspired and informed African Americans to seek the justice and power that they deserved. Hence, the effect of migration on the political power of black communities can be credited to the “the election of W. Wilson Goode as Philadelphia’s first black …show more content…
Initially, “over ninety out of every hundred lie in areas predominantly Negro”creating a Black belt effect. (St Clare Drake and Horace R. Cayton 174) However, due to the rapid growth of Afrian-Americans migrating to the city and the increasing economic success of black workers, some neighborhoods became mixed-raced. Although, many were opposed “I hate them all, all of them, “if I have to depend on a son-of-a-bitch for it, I’ll turn the key in the door first”( St Clare Drake and Horace R. Cayton 191), there was a sense of two races peacefully co-existing in other neighborhoods- “We 're not segreated here” and “I think Italians get along better with colored”. More so, the NAACP successfully argued that that “no decision against one owner for renting or selling to a Negro constituted a precedent binding others”(St Clare Drake and Horace R. Cayton 186) which was a huge success as not only did the Black community gain more political power but also, this case generated a lot of awareness towards the struggles and oppression of Black people living in urban cities. In fact, cities began to recognize and welcome the influx of Black citizens,“Does the negro make a good home buyer and carry through is purchase to completion?...17 of the 18 cities reported YES.” (St Clare Drake and Horace R. Cayton 192)
In conclusion, in the long term mass migration impacted the sociology