A powerful illustrated history of the Great Migration and its sweeping impact on Black and American culture, from Reconstruction to the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party.

The Great Migration–when six million Black Americans left the American South for northern and western cities–sparked stunning demographic and cultural changes in twentieth-century America. Through gripping and accessible historical narrative, family stories, illustrations, and infographics, author and activist Blair Imani examines this largely overlooked cultural sea change and how it impacted–and continues to impact–America and Black identity today. Lifting As We Climb examines voting rights, politics, domestic terrorism, discrimination, and segregation alongside the flourishing of arts and culture, liberation, activism, and civil rights. You’ll learn about how these influences shaped America’s workforce and wealth distribution through the stories of famous people in addition to family oral histories. Prominent people like Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, Fannie Lou Hamer, James Baldwin, and others are spotlighted alongside the larger historical and cultural narratives of the Great Migration.