Many high school seniors are faced with the decision of choosing colleges and possibly moving, which is the circumstance for some black students who moved from the North to the South. Each individual has different reasons for relocating, but most share similar viewpoints.
The popularity of this transition contains similar qualities with the Great Migration, which was a movement that occurred from 1916 to 1970 where black Americans migrated from the South to urban areas in the Northeast, Midwest and West.
Brian Kwoba, an assistant history professor at the University of Memphis, shed light on the hidden truth behind the Great Migration.
“I believe this phrase is a double-edged sword,” Kwoba said. “On the one hand, it highlights a major move of African-Americans from south to the north in the early 20th century on the other hand, it also masks the epidemic of racial cleansing that swept the nation and the fact that migrants were fleeing from white terrorism.”
Kwoba said he is unsure of the reasoning behind migrating from the North to the South, but he urges individuals who move to educate themselves about the places they move to.
“I’m not aware of this transfer of northern states to southern states, but I’m pretty sure that whatever movement like this there is, it is driven by fundamentally different forces from those that animated African-American migrants from south to north a hundred years ago,” Kwoba said. “Learn about the history of the region you are entering. It can explain a lot about the social, political and cultural dynamics of a place.”
Lawrence Scroggins, Stephanie Corey and Damaris Green are northerners who moved to the south for college.
Scroggins graduated from Urban Prep of Englewood in Chicago and decided to enroll in Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, because he said he wanted to get a new perspective on life.
“What made me attend school in the South was just the desire for a fresh start in every area of life,” Scroggins said. “I wanted to escape the city life and be able to just relax in a laid back, fun, and hospitable environment while still getting an HBCU experience. Being at an HBCU gave me all of that plus more. I was able to reconnect with my roots and develop new relationships with people of the same culture.”
Despite Green and Corey saying they are pleased with moving, they cited differences between their hometowns and the South.
“Some of my expectations included a cultured setting, new faces, new relationships, gained education from relatable sources and an overall fun experience,” Scroggins said. “Every expectation was met.”
Scroggins said finding a job to get exposed to the new culture will help to acclimate a new city.
“It could potentially be one of their greatest decisions,” Scroggins said. “Be ready to adjust to the setting and individuals especially if you’ve been in the city your whole life.”
The Chicago natives also had a few pros and cons to their overall southern experiences.
“I like that it’s affordable, has great opportunities and great people and the ability to travel with comfort,” Scroggins said. “I love the North for its good food, many cultural activities, awesome tourist attractions and great shopping, but I don’t like the amount of violence in some areas, less job opportunities, higher cost of living and bad weather.”
Green said the biggest difference is the affordable living. She also said there are more career and life opportunities available for younger people in the South than in the North.
“It just isn’t as accessible (in the North) as the south,” Green said. “The South also has a different hospitable vibe whereas (the) North is more of a spread out divided feel.”
Green said a successful move is completely based on what a person thinks about the city they are moving to.
“Just have an open mindset and throw away all the negative thoughts you’ve heard about the South and make your own conclusion,” Green said.
Corey said the most important part of moving happens before the move. She said people need to make sure they are financially stable before they start living in another city.
“I would also suggest they ensure they are financially stable to afford to move, have a job already lined up and network and connect with others to foster a community of friends, contacts because it would be available to assist whenever need be,” Corey said.
Corey said the cost of living isn’t the only perk of moving to the South. She said the weather and friendly faces also play a big factor in why he moved.
“Living down south has some advantages— the cost of living is cheaper, more job opportunities, slower-paced environment and the weather is warmer, but I don’t regret anything,” Corey said. “The transition was not hard for me. I was excited about going away to school and prepared myself mentally.”
Each student had different words of advice for people who are considering to move from the North to the South.
Despite the job opportunities and low cost of living, Corey said there are some aspects of southern culture that make him uncomfortable.
“I don’t like that the South has prevalent racism,” Corey said. “And there’s not many things to do.”
