In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience

African Americans, more than any other population in the Americas, have been shaped by migrations. Their culture and history are the results of various movements, both coerced and voluntary, that started in the Western hemisphere 500 years ago. In Motion is the first book of its kind to trace these migrations and study the effects.

With the help of four comprehensive data-based maps and more than 150 illustrations, In Motion covers four major periods of migration and explains how they define the African-American experience. Always on the move, the resourceful and creative men and women of African origin have been risk-takers even in the face of exploitative and hostile environments. Their survival skills, efficient networks, and dynamic culture have enabled them to thrive and help settle and develop the Americas. In Motion identifies how the men and women of the early migrations not only transformed the cities they settled in, but turned their neighborhoods into the primary destinations for black people arriving from the Caribbean, West Africa, and South America, making their heritage the most diverse in the nation. In Motion is a fascinating look at both the history of migration and the effects these migrations will have on the future.