The Great Migration: A City Transformed (1916-1930), a series of audio and video works that celebrate the historic tide of African Americans to the North, is now coming to your neighborhood. Hosted by community partners, the screenings will take place throughout the fall at libraries, rec centers and schools across the Philadelphia region.

ABOUT THE FILMS

Standing at the Scratch Line – dir. Julie Dash (Experimental, 2016, 10 min)

Traveling between churches in Philadelphia and South Carolina, Dash creates a cinematic tone poem about returning to sacred spaces of departure and arrival.

Eason – dir. Kevin Jerome Everson (Experimental, 2016, 15 min)

Eason is loosely based on the life of James Walker Hood Eason (1886-1923), a leader of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) of Philadelphia.

Black Star Rising: The Universal Negro Improvement Association in Philadelphia – dir. members of UNIA Thomas Harvey Division 121 (Documentary, 2016, about 10 min)

Following the rise of UNIA in the 20th century, the film shows how recent migrants were attracted by its mission of economic self-improvement. 

John Coltrane House: Giant Steps of Philadelphia – by John Coltrane House Film Committee (Documentary, 2016, about 10 min)

A group of local activists explore how jazz legend John Coltrane’s former home in Strawberry Mansion represents a significant cultural asset. 

The Great Migration: A City Transformed (1916-1930) is supported by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Additional support is provided by the Lincoln Financial Foundation, Hamilton Family Foundation, and Department of History of Art, Department of Africana Studies, and Center for Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania.