Blair Imani Making Our Way Home Sparknotes

Blair Imani’s “Making Our Way Home” delves into the expansive roots of the Great Migration and the fundamental role it played in impacting the culture, experiences, and lives of African Americans. Imani’s book showcases an in-depth analysis of a vast array of critical moments in the history of the Great Migration. The roots of the Great Migration originated in the early 20th century and continued up until the 1970s. During this period, millions of Blacks relocated from Southern rural areas up to Northern and Western urban areas (Imani). The cultural shifts that occurred during the Great Migration had immense impacts on the economic environment in the United States. Cultural phenomena such as music and art were drastically influenced by the Black migratory experience.

An expanse of musical heritage was brought to urban areas during the migration, which led to the creation of new musical genres such as blues, jazz, gospel, and hip-hop. An interesting derivation of music that originated from the Great Migration is hip-hop, which originated in the Bronx region of New York City during the 1970s (Imani). Hip-hop came to light as a reaction to the social and economic hardships experienced by Latinx and Black individuals and communities in cities. The cultivation of hip-hop during these times coincided with diverse cultural practices coming together. African Americans from various backgrounds merged together in cities such as New York and allowed for the utilization of a vast array of musical elements from Black heritage to be used in the hip-hop genre (Imani). Elements from jazz and blues, rhythmic African drumming, and oral African American storytelling created a sort of artistic expression in the form of music that could be used as a platform for self-expression