A new four-part docuseries that examines the powerful influence of Black migration on American culture and society.
Great Migration: A People on the Moves airs Tuesdays, January 28-Febraury 18 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV, Saturdays, February 1-22 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD and streaming live on the WXXI app.
From Emmy nominated executive producer, host, and writer Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Great Migrations: A People on the Move examines the powerful influence of Black migration on American culture and society. While the first large migration was a forced journey from Africa in bondage, voluntary migrations in the 20th and 21st centuries have significantly reshaped the nation. This series explores the first and second waves of the Great Migration from the South to the North during the two World Wars, the “New Great Migration” of African Americans returning home to the South of their ancestors since the 1970s, and the “Next Great Migration” marked by the historic and growing influx of African and Caribbean immigration in the 20th and 21st centuries. The film powerfully demonstrates that movement is a defining feature of the Black American experience.
Episode descriptions are provided below:
Tuesday, January 28 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV + Saturday, February 1 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV & 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD – “Exodus”
Episode 1 explores the first wave of the Great Migration (1910–1940), when more than a million Black Americans fled the Jim Crow South for the promised lands of the North, forever changing the country and themselves.
Tuesday, February 4 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV + Saturday, February 8 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV & 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD – “Streets Paved in Gold”
Episode 2 explores the second wave of the Great Migration (1940-1970), highlighting how Northern and Western Black communities matured through migration and transformed the cultural and political power of Black America.
Tuesday, February 11 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV + Saturday, February 15 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV & 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD – “One Way Ticket Back”
Episode 3 shows how the reverse migration of Black Americans to the South—driven by mass movements, economic change, and an ongoing struggle for freedom and opportunity—continues to reshape the country.
Tuesday, February 18 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV + Saturday, February 22 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV & 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD – “Coming to America”
Episode 4 tells the story of African and Caribbean immigrants in the United States, examining their profound impact on American culture and what it means to be Black in America.