Images of the Great Migration

The Great Migration serves as the catalyst for arguably all of August Wilson’s works, but it is at the very heart of The Piano Lesson. Each of its characters grapple with their personal place in the enormous movement, from Berniece, who fled the South after her husband’s violent death, to Boy Willie, who refuses to abandon his native land. These simple yet haunting images of the Migration create a snapshot into the epic journey itself, a path that more than 6 million African Americans made in the hopes of securing a safer and better life.