Black Meetings & Tourism
The Authority On African American Conventions, Incentives,
and Leisure Travel.
From the archives of Black Meetings & Tourism Magazine, see the cover story showcasing destinations in the MIDWEST. You can read the electronic version of the magazine at www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com
THE MIDWESTERN REGION
Dubbed “The Great Migration,” from about 1916 to the 1970s, more than 6 million Black Americans relocated from the rural South to the cities of the North, West and Midwest. Driven from their homes by unsatisfactory economic opportunities and harsh segregationist laws, many African Americans took advantage of the need for industrial workers that arose during the First World War.
Black people began to build a new place for themselves in all areas of life in cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit and Kansas City. They actively confronted racial prejudice as well as economic, political and social challenges and created unique urban cultures that are an intricate part of the appeal of destinations throughout this region.
Indiana
Michigan
Minnesota
North Dakota
South Dakota
Reference Image Destinations:
Illinois-DuSable Museum / Indiana-C.J. Walker theater / Iowa-African American museum of Iowa /Kansas-Richard Allen Cultural Center and museum / Michigan-Charles Wright Museum / Minnesota-Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery / Missouri-Negro League Baseball museum / Nebraska-Great Plains Black History museum / North Dakota-Second Baptist Church / Ohio-National Underground Railroad Freedom Center / South Dakota-South Dakota African American museum / Wisconsin-Milwaukee Art Center Nelson Mandela exhibit