Second Great Migration (African American)

In the context of the 20th-century history of the United States, the Second Great Migration was the migration of more than five million African Americans from the South to the North, Midwest and West. It took place from 1941, through World War II, and lasted until 1970. It was much larger and of a different character than the first Great Migration (1910–1940).

In the Second Great Migration, more than five million African Americans moved to cities in states in the North, Midwest and West, including many to California, where Los Angeles, Oakland, and Long Beach offered many skilled jobs in the defense industry. Most of these migrants were already urban laborers who came from the cities of the South. In addition, some African Americans were still treated with discrimination in many parts of the country, and many sought to escape this.

Full article...