“…I pick up my life

And take it away

On a one-way ticket—

Gone up North,

Gone out West,

Gone!”

-Langston Hughes from “One Way Ticket” 1962

 

Jacob Lawrence was a self proclaimed “child of The Great Migration“.  The Great Migration was the movement of over six million African Americans out of impoverished rural South to more industrialized parts of the country from 1910-1970.

In conjunction with the “One Way Ticket” exhibition of Jacob Lawrence’s work April-September 2015, The MOMA offers an ongoing virtual gallery which is a beautifully interactive multimedia experience about the “Migration Series” that Lawrence painted between 1940-41. You can take a step back in time and not only learn the history of the Great Migration, but also get a feel for life during the Harlem Renaissance and the cultural impact this migration had on New York and the rest of the world.

Learn a bit of history as you walk through the streets of Haarlem and listen to the poetry and music of the day.  Celebrate the influence new cultures bring to a society.  Well worth the visit and a great resource for educators.

MOMA:  One Way Ticket