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New book looks at the lives of the thousands of Black people who came to Boston during the Great Migration

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More than six million Black people traveled from the South to the North during the Great Migration, a period of 60 years in the 20th century. In New England, between 1950 and 1980, the number of Southern-born Blacks living in the region more than tripled.

Their lives are the subject of a new book by Blake Gumprecht called "North to Boston: Life Histories from the Black Great Migration in New England." In it, he profiles 10 people who made the trek, and who are members today of Roxbury's Charles Street AME Church. We talk with Gumprecht and Reverend Greg Groover, senior pastor at Charles Street, about the book, and the impact of the migration on the region.

This segment aired on May 24, 2023.

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Amanda Beland Senior Producer
Amanda Beland is a producer and director for Radio Boston. She also reports for the WBUR newsroom.

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Tiziana Dearing Host, Radio Boston
Tiziana Dearing is the host of Radio Boston.

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