Fall 2009 » Student Research » The Great Migration

The Great Migration

October, 2006

In her own words:

"I've been taking these photos as a way of acculturation...to understand the sights, sounds, people and taste of the Arkansas Delta."

RaeGina Covington, a University of Arkansas journalism graduate student, has been researching the migration of African Americans from Arkansas to other states in the early 1900s. In addition to working on her thesis, she has also taken part in the production of several films.

Motorcycle Festival,
Helena, Arkansas
(May 2006)

Covington, a native of Cincinnati, came to the university in the spring of 2005 to begin her graduate program. She is researching her family's participation in The Great Migration from Arkansas to East St. Louis during the 1910s. Her interest in the subject developed through working on the genealogy of her family for more than five years.

"I realized that subject matter could make an interesting thesis," after she spoke to Patsy Watkins, chair of the journalism department, she said. Covington uncovered some unexpected facts about her family, such as a U.S. Census record containing information about one of her maternal great-grandfathers, which indicated that he didn't speak English. Now Covington is trying to gather facts about his origins.

Little Girl on Porch,
West Helena, Ark.
(Spring 2006)

Covington hopes to take her current findings and create a hypothesis about how her family came to the North, what they may have endured to achieve this, what their goals were and what they left behind. She also hopes to use what she knows now to acquire more information about her Southern heritage.

Covington's thesis relates to the world at large. During the time period she is researching, war, revolution and independence were spreading around the world. When African American soldiers were asked to give their lives to protect the United States during World War I, they believed they would return home as respected men. Instead, "Jim Crow" laws and resentful industrial workers, who were replaced by African Americans during the war, created additional animosity.

Covington's research will analyze and describe how external forces around the United States and the world and internal forces within the African American community led to an "exodus" from the South. Migration and exodus are not themes exclusive to African Americans, Covington said. Many people can relate to or have experienced both in one form or another.

Winter Cotton - I woke up at 5 a.m. in Forrest City and I realized it was snowing. I shot this on a farm between Lee and St. Francis Counties. (Feb 2006)

In addition to her thesis, Covington continues to explore another interest: film. Covington was one of three students who created the documentary If These Halls Could Talk, which tells the story of one of Fayetteville's local public schools, Jefferson Elementary. This film chronicles the oral history of the 75-year-old Jefferson Elementary School, which closed at the end of the 2006 school year.

Covington was a teacher for more than 11 years, and when she first came to Arkansas, she taught as a substitute teacher in Fayetteville Public Schools, including Jefferson Elementary. She also taught in and lived near neighborhood schools in Ohio and has seen how important they are to communities. Because of her experiences, Covington wanted to work on a documentary that related somehow to education.

"When this opportunity arose, I didn't hesitate to be a part of the production," she said. Covington and her team interviewed staff, teachers, students, parents and principals - past and present - so that they could allow people to express how they feel or felt about Jefferson during their time spent there. Their goal was to use the film as a tribute to one of Fayetteville's oldest schools.

Right now Covington is finishing up two other films: Growing Delta Dreams, a film about two African American farmers in the Delta who receive help from Heifer International to carry on a long-standing family tradition. Covington was the principal photographer on this film. She is also completing Traveler: The first 100 years of the student-run newspaper. The producer plans to show this film during the centennial celebration of The Traveler scheduled later this fall.

In between her work in film, Covington continues to work on her thesis and hopes to complete it in December 2007.