During the Great Migration, the Northern states were thought of as the land of opportunity, and for many Black people, it was. However, as people moved on up, many found that their health declined.
One study reports that the mortality rate for Black men who migrated from the South to the North increased by 40%, and for Black women it increased by 50%. Habits like smoking and drinking contributed to these increases, but there was something deadly that Black people just could not escape.
Research shows that Black people who migrated to or lived in the North experienced more mental illness, mood disorders, substance abuse, and anxiety than Black people who remained in the South. Migrators were also more likely to report perceived discrimination.
Being underpaid, forced into crowded neighborhoods, and/or living in a neighborhood that was hostile to Black people all contributed to dangerously high levels of stress. But we now know that the Great Migration was more than the search for better opportunities. It was a sacrifice.
The Great Migration took a heavy toll on the health of people who left the South, but their willingness to put everything on the line for their families and to build new futures showed a healthy love of liberation.