The Great Migration that Isabel Wilkerson describes In In The Warmth of Other Suns inevitably reminds me of the immigrant stories that were told through mouths of my acquaintances. In a sense, they were largely no different from each other; one immigrated internally and one immigrated externally beyond the boundaries of this country, but both came to find themselves in unfamiliar surroundings that did not provide much more comfort – at least in the first few years. They had to go through so many compromises and struggles before life give them the slightest sight of hope.  I especially find Robert’s narratives compelling because I know of friends’ parents who were both highly educated doctors in their homeland but only came to find their knowledge inapplicable; they worked in bakeries and supermarkets on manual labor jobs while supporting their kids through colleges. Both groups of people also exemplified the quest for freedom and pursuit of happiness that are embedded in our human natures. I cannot think of ways to describe this movement of people anything other than honorable.

On another note, I also find the statistics staggering as someone who was not very familiar with the history of the Great Migration. From ten percent to fifty percent, and from less than fifty-thousands to more than a million, it really marked a shift in population, culture, and more importantly, the beginning of the awakening call that motivated people all the way until today in the search for equality.