Follow the Great Migration at the Ocean County Library Jackson Branch
January 20, 2025JACKSON TOWNSHIP – The 20th Century movement by African Americans across America set in motion dramatic changes that are now fundamental to our way of life. Join storyteller Michelle Washington Wilson for “Food and Folks of the Great Migration – A Black History Month Celebration” at the Ocean County Library Jackson Branch, 3 PM Saturday, February 15.
The Great Migration encompasses the journeys of African Americans from rural Southern communities to cities and towns in the North and West. The first surge, from the end of Reconstruction through 1940, produced cultural breakthroughs such as the Harlem Renaissance. The second, from 1950 to 1970, spurred the Civil Rights movement.
Michelle’s engaging narrative illustrates the courage, determination and sometimes outright craftiness in uprooting lives to arrive in new locales with no guarantees of welcome. In addition to the history and tales, Michelle will share sample recipes of foods that the travelers ate on the way, unable to dine at their leisure due to onerous segregation policies.
It’s one of Michelle’s favorite programs because she shares the story of her own family and the circumstances that brought them to South Jersey.
The Newtonville storyteller, teaching artist and folklorist has earned more than 100 public speaking awards in more than 30 years of capturing the spirit of African American life throughout North America and the Caribbean. A member of the New Jersey Storytelling Network and the National Association of Black Storytellers, she offers workshops for foundations and other professional groups.
Please register at https://tinyurl.com/OclJaBHM to attend this free program. For more information, stop by the OCL Jackson Branch, 2 Jackson Drive, or call (732) 928-4400. See the full schedule of Library programs in the online Calendar of Events.
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