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Midwest Connections

Great Migration

Above: Union Station, Chicago, 1948. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Archives, Newberry Library. View catalog record

Marion Perkins

In 1916, at the age of 8, Marion Perkins moved from Arkansas to Chicago to live with his aunt, joining the ranks of over 500,000 African Americans who relocated from the south during a period now referred to as the Great Migration. The future sculptor lived in Bronzeville, Chicago’s predominately African American neighborhood and home to many of its most outstanding writers and artists. Perkins had little to no formal training as a sculptor as a young man. He scavenged stone and wood from abandoned buildings around Chicago for his sculptures. Perkins would carve stone on the sidewalk while managing a newsstand, which caught the attention of members of the Bronzeville art community. Between 1942 and 1957, Perkins exhibited regularly in Chicago, receiving praise and awards for his sculptures and recognition as an important artist of his day. This sculpture is a commentary on the Cold War-era threat of atomic warfare. Perkins considered the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki two of the greatest crimes of humanity. This figure is seen craning his head backwards, scanning the skies for any approaching threat. —Illinois State Museum

Oral Histories

In collaboration with the South Side Home Movie Project, students at the University of Chicago interviewed four people whose families experienced the Great Migration. After sharing their own brief stories of migration, the students provide a short overview of the Great Migration and introduce the personal accounts of Jeannette Foreman, Ghian Foreman, Alvinetta Burks, and Susan McClelland. Students provide context for audio clips of the oral histories, highlighting the role of church, education, and family connections in each life story. They also explore the relationship between race and place, past and present, within a broad context of migration as a human and American experience.

Selected Interviews

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Alvinetta Burks oral history conducted by Dasha Beniash, Hanna Addis. South Side Home Movie Project
Jeannette Foreman and Ghian Foreman oral history conducted by Jenny Kim, Donte Thrasher, Gloria Morelos-Roth, and Hill Bonin. South Side Home Movie Project
Susan McClelland oral history conducted by Jamie Koenig and Charles Khosla. South Side Home Movie Project
Marion Perkins, Skywatcher, c. 1948, marble . Illinois State Museum In 1916, at the age of 8, Marion Perkins moved from Arkansas to Chicago to live with his aunt, joining the ranks of over 500,000 African Americans who moved to Chicago from the south during a period now referred to as the Great Migration. He lived in Bronzeville, Chicago’s predominately African American neighborhood and home to many of its most outstanding writers and artists.Perkins had little to no formal training as a sculptor as a young man. He scavenged stone and wood from abandoned buildings around Chicago for his sculptures. It was not until around 1937 that his work became recognized. Perkins would carve stone on the sidewalk while managing a newsstand, which caught the attention of members of the Bronzeville art community. Between 1942 and 1957, Perkins exhibited regularly in Chicago, receiving praise and awards for his sculptures and recognition as an important artist of his day.This sculpture is a commentary on the Cold War-era threat of atomic warfare. Perkins understood the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as two of the greatest crimes of humanity. This figure is seen craning his head backwards, scanning the skies for any approaching threat.
Great Migration Oral Histories. South Side Home Movie Project