Dr. Davarian Baldwin Brings Great Migration to Life for CM Students, Faculty

Yesterday evening Catholic Memorial welcomed Dr. Davarian Baldwin to campus to work with faculty and speak with students as part of the Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lectureship Program.

Dr. Baldwin's lecture, "Goin' to Chicago: the Great Migration and Urban Life in the Black Metropolis," focused on the Great Migration and its impact on creativity and innovation in Chicago in the early 20th century. This was part of an intentional effort to recognize the importance of African-American history as part of the American story, and particularly a part of African-American history that is not as well known as the Civil War, slavery, and the Civil Rights movement.

In his talk, Dr. Baldwin seamlessly blended cultural innovation in Gospel music, athletics, intellectual life, and beauty culture. Dr. Baldwin quickly developed a rapport with his audience and solicited engaged student response throughout the talk. Students then asked Dr. Baldwin insightful questions, which led to a spirited dialogue following the lecture.

Before his lecture, Dr. Baldwin met with history and foreign language faculty to discuss the research for his book, Chicago's New Negroes: Modernity, The Great Migration and Black Urban Life. Dr. Baldwin's scholarship broke new ground in locating cultural change in Chicago, while traditional narratives have focused on New York and the Harlem Renaissance.

Catholic Memorial in recent years has hosted two Bancroft Prize-winning historians (Jeff Bolster, UNH; Tomiko Brown-Nagain, Harvard) and a host of other well-known scholars (Jeff Cowie, Vanderbilt; Chad Williams, Brandeis; Heather Richardson, Boston College; Peniel Joseph, Tufts). These talks help connect students with recent trends in historical scholarship and observe practicing historians. Additionally, faculty have conducted content-specific professional development with these scholars.