This story is part of the Niles West News 2026 Immigration Series, which documents community members’ experiences immigrating to the United States. Most of these stories are written by Niles West News writers, but some will feature guest writers who will tell their family’s story. 

While I know that this series seeks to highlight those who immigrated to the U.S. from another country, I think it is also important to highlight those who migrated throughout the U.S., like my family.

My family hails from Starkville, Mississippi. While I can’t start at the very beginning, I can start with my great-grandfather, Eddie James. He married my great-grandmother, Eddie May (kind of cool that they share part of their first names with each other, right?), and in the 1940s, they lived in the house that my great-great-grandparents had built as my great-great-grandfather was a carpenter.

As one might expect, there weren’t many job opportunities in the rural South. One of the few things that Black people, like my great-grandfather, could find for work was working the land as sharecroppers. Eventually, my great-grandparents had my aunt Shirlene Baker, my grandmother Virtine Nimmers and my uncle Mike Gibson. With three children and more on the way, my great-grandparents decided to make the move from the rural South to Evanston, Illinois.

“Although our family’s story is typical of the average low-income Black family, moving north was the only way to get out from the oppression of Southern Whites who controlled everything,” Baker said.

Overarching my family’s decision to migrate to the North is the largest movement of people in United States history: The Great Migration. During this time period, from about 1910 to 1970, roughly six million Black people migrated from the South to the North. The South at this time was characterized by economic, racial, political and educational oppression, both de facto and de jure with Jim Crow laws. With racial tensions worsening in the South after the Compromise of 1877, many Black people in the South faced persecution and disenfranchisement.

With this overture, my family decided to move to Evanston. My great-grandfather’s sister was the first to move to Illinois with her husband. Later, in 1949, my great-grandfather traveled alone to Illinois to find work and a place to live that was secure enough so that my great-grandmother and her children could follow. They came in 1950 by car, although others would also take the train.

“The travel from the South was dangerous,” Baker said. “The one-way trip from our hometown of Starkville, Mississippi, could take up to fifteen hours depending on the speed and number of times they had to stop.”

When they first moved here, my family lived in a two-room house that only had one bathroom. Split between eventually six children and two adults, it was incredibly cramped. However, my family was able to make it work. For four or five years, my great-grandfather worked as a chef at Northwestern University and eventually became the general manager at the Wilmette Golf Club. My great-grandmother worked as a maid for wealthier families and as a coatroom attendant.

“When I listen to my mother share how my grandmother fought tirelessly for her children, especially my uncles, within the school district, I gain a deeper understanding of the high expectations she held for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren alike,” my cousin Trisha Baker said.

Eventually, my great-grandparents saved up enough money and moved into a house. The third house that they later moved into is still in the family in Evanston. While my family was able to eventually thrive, it didn’t come without challenges. For one thing, the weather was one thing to get used to. Living in the rural South, one doesn’t experience all four seasons that Chicago does. In addition, racism still persisted in the North. Although not as severe, racism still dominated society and this didn’t make things easy for my family.

“Arriving in the ‘promised land’ brought a sense of pure joy, excitement and great anticipation for what the future would hold: employment freedom and good housing,” Baker said.

After my family became well established here, we sometimes went to visit those who had stayed behind. As my dad, Aaron Mackey, was growing up, he frequently went “down South” to stay with my great-great-grandmother who lived on the family land. My dad recounted what it was like spending his summers there.

“There wasn’t much to do. [My great-grandmother] had over 100 acres of land and a couple [of] ponds,” Mackey said. “We would go into ‘town’ once a week. The highlight was getting Tombstone pizzas. It was slow. It was a very modest life.”

While I haven’t gone to visit some of the family who still live there, I do hope to continue the traditions of my family. My grandma used to be the chef of the family. Every Sunday, we used to have family over for church. Now, after her passing, my dad continues to use her recipes and has passed a few on to me.

Overall, while it hadn’t been easy, my family made a life for themselves. We thrived despite what went on around us. We received an education and became participating members of our communities.

“Our family was hard-working, determined and committed to making a better life for future generations,” Baker said. “It was instilled in us to be the best you can be, use your talents and always help others.”