Part II – Section One
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the Migration by reading what has come to be the definitive text of the Great Migration, The Warmth of Other Suns. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration: Wilkerson began writing The Warmth of Other Suns following the period of academic and public interest during the late ’80s and early ’90s. Published 15 years later, in 2010, Warmth of Other Suns is now one of the most widely read and cited books on the Great Migration and is well-regarded in both academic circles and by everyday readers. Synthesizing decades of scholarship into rich historical context, Wilkerson weaves the stories and experiences of three migrants into a narrative history of the Great Migration. In her section “Notes on Methodology,” Wilkerson is clear about how the book was intended to intervene in the history of the Migration: 1) to adjust the time frame beyond 1915-1940. 2) to expand the geographic understanding of the Migration beyond cities such as Chicago. 3) to convey an intimate history and expand the (albeit important) focus on demographics, politics, economics, and sociology. Before the publication of The Warmth of Other Suns, the First Great Migration received the majority of scholarly attention and was often treated as the Migration in its entirety. Up until that point, however, The Second Great Migration remained ill-defined.36 Building upon the work of the sociologist, Stewart Tolney, and arguing that the Migration continued until about 1975, Wilkerson extends the length of the Migration beyond all pre-existing time frames. She also moves beyond the jobs-driven characterization of the Migration, arguing that the Migration did not end until the legislative victories of the Civil Rights Movement were implemented and
36
Wilkerson, Warmth of Other Suns, 13, 539.
