From the Cotton Field to the Cotton Club: The Journey and Legacy of the Great Migration
In-Person – 3:10 pm – 4:50 pm
March 11, 18, 25, April 1, 8, 15
African Americans have known many struggles, but have continued to press through. Many have reached great heights and left a lasting legacy. We examine life after slavery, as African Americans sought to find their way and their place in society. The focus is on events from the late 19th through the early 20th century. The course explores life from the plantation, to sharecropping, the Great Migration, and portions of the Harlem Renaissance and the effects on the economy and the history of music and arts in the world. (Will include some material from a previous course.)
- Week 1- Slavery is Over, BUT No Place to Go: Life after slavery, and how African Americans adjusted to their new life and challenges
- Week 2- Sharing the Plantation or Not: The inequalities and challenges of sharecropping and the struggle to survive
- Week 3- Meeting with Mr. Jim Crow: The Jim Crow era, Black Codes, the harsh realities of lynching
- Week 4- It’s Time to Get Out of Here: The Great Migration–the movement north
- Week 5-Harlem Renaissance: The contribution of African Americans to the arts and literature
- Week 6-Harlem Renaissance: Life on the Stage
Merle B. Rumble has a PhD in Instructional Leadership, an MS in Educational Leadership, an MS in Education and a BA in Business Administration. A distinguished retired educator, she has 33 years of experience as an elementary school teacher, 30 of which were devoted to the Norwalk Public Schools. She is dedicated to the field of education and sharing the importance of African American history and has done extensive research and travel to African American historical sites across the U.S. and West Africa.