The Migration of the Negro, Panel 52 1941

Jacob Lawrence created Panel 52 as part of his epic "Migration of the Negro" series. The series tells the story of the mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North in the early 20th century. Lawrence, influenced by his own experiences growing up in Harlem during this period, uses a deliberately flattened, modernist style to depict scenes of both hope and hardship. Here, angular figures fleeing north are confronted by violence. The disembodied head in the foreground, turned in anguish, evokes the very real dangers faced by those seeking refuge and opportunity. The artist noted: “I do not have in mind a finished work...I seek only to present [the idea] with all possible truth.” This panel serves as a powerful reminder of the courage, determination, and resilience required in the face of systemic oppression and violence.