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Better Lives, Broken Promises and the Struggle for Equality
Lessons from The Black Migration to Saginaw, Michigan
Series: - Studies in Critical Social Sciences, Volume: 353
Author:
Through a case study, this ethno-historical analysis uses the oral histories of three generations of African American migrants to Saginaw, Michigan to show how social processes within the African American community changed in response to the local race-based opportunity structure. This study focuses on the black migration to this northern industrial community that occurred in two waves between 1915 and 1960 and argues that different levels of expectations informed how each wave responded to the local social structure and the resulting demands for change.
What will be made clear is that the social landscape for African Americans coming north at the start of the second half of the last century changed drastically, based upon a foundation laid by the migrants arriving in the first half of the twentieth century. This book suggests that the earlier cohort served to fill the social spaces created by the pre-1915 migrants and learned how to âget byâ in a society that offered few real opportunities for its Black citizens. The second wave arrived after World War II into a society that promised more, even as it failed to deliver, and demands for social justice became louder. This book details the impact of each wave through interviews and secondary data. Then it locates the origins of an activist black church and middle-class demands in the changes to material conditions of the cityâs Black residents and hence, cultural change over time.
What will be made clear is that the social landscape for African Americans coming north at the start of the second half of the last century changed drastically, based upon a foundation laid by the migrants arriving in the first half of the twentieth century. This book suggests that the earlier cohort served to fill the social spaces created by the pre-1915 migrants and learned how to âget byâ in a society that offered few real opportunities for its Black citizens. The second wave arrived after World War II into a society that promised more, even as it failed to deliver, and demands for social justice became louder. This book details the impact of each wave through interviews and secondary data. Then it locates the origins of an activist black church and middle-class demands in the changes to material conditions of the cityâs Black residents and hence, cultural change over time.
Willie L. McKether (2005), is a Professor of Anthropology at The University of Toledo. He has published monographs and articles on the Black Migration to Saginaw, Methods in Social Science Research, and a book chapter on global business.
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Lists of Tables and Illustrations
Prologue
â1âPre-migration Saginaw: Birth of a City, from Dust to Steel
â2âThe Cityâs Roots
â3âSaginaw: a Divided City
â4âResidential Patterns and Emergence of Race-Based Housing Patterns
â5âIndustry and Work
â6âEarly Population Shifts
â7âEarly Arrivals: the Re-birth of Community and Black Life
â8âAfrican American Church Growth
â9âLeadership
â10âThe NAACP: the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
1 Introduction
â1âStudy Populations
â2âA Native Anthropologist
â3âOral History Approach
â4âVariation across Black Migrations
â5âEarly Black Migration North
â6âA History of Racism and Broken Promises to Black Americans
â7âRole and Survival of Religion
â8âWhite Gratifications and Black Inequality
2 Coming of Age in the South: a Life of Segregation, Exploitation, Marginalization and Violence
â1âThe Southern Environment
â2âCaste and Reproduction of Domination
â3âStaying in Placeâthe Respectful Negro
â4âSeparate and Unequal
â5âSegregated Transportation or Negroes in the Back
â6âPolitics and Voting ⦠Not for Negroes
â7âReligion and the Black Church, the Two Bright Spots for Southern Blacks
â8âThe Exploitative Sharecropping System: the Final Nail in the Coffin
â9âThe Cotton Season and Schooling
â10âWork Outside of Cotton Fields
â11âFueling the Decision to Leave the South
â12âConclusion: the Refusal to Stay in Place
3 1915â1945: Black Population Growth, Racism and Seeds of Resistance
â1âA Brief History of General Motors in Saginaw
â2âTechnology and Growth of General Motors in Saginaw through 1940
â3âGrowth of Malleable and Grey Iron Foundries
â4âGeneral Motors and UAW Growth: 1940â1949
â5âMalleable Foundry Growth: 1940â1949
â6âGrey Iron Foundry Growth: 1940â1949
â7âSelected Demographic Data for the Saginaw Cohort
â8âGeneral Motors, Caste Hiring, and âNigger Jobsâ
â9âRace-Based Control of the Black Migrants
â10âRacism in Saginaw
â11âEmergence of the Black Enclave
â12âSegregated Schools
â13âWest-Side Black Life in Saginaw
â14âBlack is Black: Equal Opportunity Inequality
â15âRacism in Business
â16âGrowth of Race Businesses
â17âAfrican American Church Growth
â18âEmploymentâthe Saginaw Cohort
â19âThe NAACP Fight for Black Rights
â20âConclusion: the Seeds of Resistance Have Been Planted
4 1946â1960: the Seeds Blossom: Black Resistance and Roots of Civil Rights Politics
â1âSelected Demographic Data for the Migration Cohort
â2âPostâWorld War II: Continued Racism and Glimmers of Hope
â3âDiscrimination in Housing
â4âAn Insurgency Class and the UAW
â5âJourney Stories: Trailblazers in the Fight for Equity and Equality
â6âWartime Demand and the Growth of General Motors
â7âSecond Wave Migration and Continuation of âNigger Jobsâ
â8âThe Legacy of Racism and Limited Opportunities Continues throughout the 1950s
â9âThe New Black Church, Middle-Class Leadership and the Seeds of Change
â10âThe Frontiers International Club
â11âThe Turbulent 1960s: Social Movement, the Power of Networks, and Progress
â12âThe Emergence of United Power
â13âThe Marsh Network: Group One
â14âThe United Power Network: Group Two
â15âBridge Links between the Two Networks
â16âConclusion
5 Conclusion
Appendix 1: Haithco 1946 Job Offer as First Black Saginaw Teacher
Appendix 2: Robinson 1953 Letter from General Motors
Appendix 3: Robinson 1953 First Pay from General Motors
Epilogue
âDelayed Prosperity: Community, Culture and Continued Inequality
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Lists of Tables and Illustrations
Prologue
â1âPre-migration Saginaw: Birth of a City, from Dust to Steel
â2âThe Cityâs Roots
â3âSaginaw: a Divided City
â4âResidential Patterns and Emergence of Race-Based Housing Patterns
â5âIndustry and Work
â6âEarly Population Shifts
â7âEarly Arrivals: the Re-birth of Community and Black Life
â8âAfrican American Church Growth
â9âLeadership
â10âThe NAACP: the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
1 Introduction
â1âStudy Populations
â2âA Native Anthropologist
â3âOral History Approach
â4âVariation across Black Migrations
â5âEarly Black Migration North
â6âA History of Racism and Broken Promises to Black Americans
â7âRole and Survival of Religion
â8âWhite Gratifications and Black Inequality
2 Coming of Age in the South: a Life of Segregation, Exploitation, Marginalization and Violence
â1âThe Southern Environment
â2âCaste and Reproduction of Domination
â3âStaying in Placeâthe Respectful Negro
â4âSeparate and Unequal
â5âSegregated Transportation or Negroes in the Back
â6âPolitics and Voting ⦠Not for Negroes
â7âReligion and the Black Church, the Two Bright Spots for Southern Blacks
â8âThe Exploitative Sharecropping System: the Final Nail in the Coffin
â9âThe Cotton Season and Schooling
â10âWork Outside of Cotton Fields
â11âFueling the Decision to Leave the South
â12âConclusion: the Refusal to Stay in Place
3 1915â1945: Black Population Growth, Racism and Seeds of Resistance
â1âA Brief History of General Motors in Saginaw
â2âTechnology and Growth of General Motors in Saginaw through 1940
â3âGrowth of Malleable and Grey Iron Foundries
â4âGeneral Motors and UAW Growth: 1940â1949
â5âMalleable Foundry Growth: 1940â1949
â6âGrey Iron Foundry Growth: 1940â1949
â7âSelected Demographic Data for the Saginaw Cohort
â8âGeneral Motors, Caste Hiring, and âNigger Jobsâ
â9âRace-Based Control of the Black Migrants
â10âRacism in Saginaw
â11âEmergence of the Black Enclave
â12âSegregated Schools
â13âWest-Side Black Life in Saginaw
â14âBlack is Black: Equal Opportunity Inequality
â15âRacism in Business
â16âGrowth of Race Businesses
â17âAfrican American Church Growth
â18âEmploymentâthe Saginaw Cohort
â19âThe NAACP Fight for Black Rights
â20âConclusion: the Seeds of Resistance Have Been Planted
4 1946â1960: the Seeds Blossom: Black Resistance and Roots of Civil Rights Politics
â1âSelected Demographic Data for the Migration Cohort
â2âPostâWorld War II: Continued Racism and Glimmers of Hope
â3âDiscrimination in Housing
â4âAn Insurgency Class and the UAW
â5âJourney Stories: Trailblazers in the Fight for Equity and Equality
â6âWartime Demand and the Growth of General Motors
â7âSecond Wave Migration and Continuation of âNigger Jobsâ
â8âThe Legacy of Racism and Limited Opportunities Continues throughout the 1950s
â9âThe New Black Church, Middle-Class Leadership and the Seeds of Change
â10âThe Frontiers International Club
â11âThe Turbulent 1960s: Social Movement, the Power of Networks, and Progress
â12âThe Emergence of United Power
â13âThe Marsh Network: Group One
â14âThe United Power Network: Group Two
â15âBridge Links between the Two Networks
â16âConclusion
5 Conclusion
Appendix 1: Haithco 1946 Job Offer as First Black Saginaw Teacher
Appendix 2: Robinson 1953 Letter from General Motors
Appendix 3: Robinson 1953 First Pay from General Motors
Epilogue
âDelayed Prosperity: Community, Culture and Continued Inequality
Bibliography
Index
This book is especially relevant for readers in upper-level high schools, colleges and universities, as well as public and private libraries. It is particularly suited to subject areas such as sociology, anthropology, history, political science, and research methods.