- While many know about the Great Migration (1920s, 1.6 million Black Americans migrated from South to Northern cities ie NYC, Chicago, Detroit), thousands also migrated to Los Angeles (1890s-1910s).
- Before migrations, 90% of Black Americans lived in the South.
- Those who went West were escaping Jim Crow segregation and poverty in Texas, Louisiana and Atlanta.
- LA also offered many job opportunities (construction, janitorial).
- Before the shift, LA’s small black population was mostly mixed-African Mexicans.
- In response, neighborhoods started imposing restrictive covenants forcing many blacks into Southern LA.
The Great Migration: Creating a New Black Identity in Los Angeles
(02/15/2012)
