Collaborative Research: Black Migration to the West, 1930-2000

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

SES-0317247 Stewart Tolnay University of Washington SES-0317254 Joseph Alexander University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Internal migration reshaped the African American population throughout the twentieth century. It produced a dramatic shift in the regional distribution of the black population, ending its long-standing and overwhelming concentration in the South. It turned a predominantly rural and agricultural population into urbanites. And, as a result, it strongly influenced racial dynamics in the South and non-South, alike. The project investigates a significant, but thus far understudied, aspect of this broader demographic phenomenon - African American migration to the West from 1930 through 2000. The general goals for the project are to gain a better understanding of who the western migrants were and how they fared after they arrived. The PIs will rely primarily on existing Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) from the decennial censuses for 1930 through 2000 to pursue five major substantive objectives. First, to construct profiles for migrants to the West, including information about a variety of socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., education/literacy, economic status, urban/rural origins, residence, and family patterns). Second, to conduct comparative analyses that: (1) determine the extent to which western migrants differed from migrants to other regions, or from non-migrants, and (2) assess the amount of variation among the western migrants, themselves. Third, to conduct temporal analyses that examine how the migrant profiles, and group contrasts, varied over time. Fourth, to complete contextual analyses that consider the extent to which the characteristics of local areas affected the migrants and their situation relative to other groups within the West. Fifth, to study patterns of return migration from the West, and how they differed from return migration patterns from the Northeast and Midwest. The new data sources and substantive findings resulting from this project will advance, significantly, our understanding of an important aspect of the Great Migration of African Americans during the twentieth century, and the growth of the black population in the West. They will also provide valuable evidence for the investigation of theoretically-important issues related to: interregional migration; regional variation in the experience of blacks and black migrants; relations among racial and ethnic groups in the West; growth of the black ghetto in the West; racially- and ethnically-determined occupational hierarchies in the West; and the effects of group size on individual socioeconomic outcomes for minority group members. The project has broader impacts that transcend its scientific contributions. Graduate students will be involved in the project throughout its duration, offering an excellent opportunity for professional development and human capital acquisition. Undergraduates will also be able to gain first-hand research experience through independent study programs at both institutions that allow them to earn credit while participating in actual research projects. Findings will be disseminated to an interdisciplinary audience through publishing in journals with an interdisciplinary focus and by presenting papers at interdisciplinary conferences. The data preparation activities that will create new data sources for public dissemination through the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series website at the Minnesota Population Center.