Does Migration Necessarily Mean Uprooting & Regrounding?

This week we have talked about migration and how it has the power to uproot & reground people. The in class discussion at hand was a really interesting one because it opened up avenues for different conversations to be held. Does migration also have the ability to desensitize "culture" or what "home" is besides only physically moving to different regions?

Along with this discussion we had also went around the room & explained how our family's history of migration affects our everyday lives; For me, being African American, living in the States, & knowing that I have ancestors that have migrated here to the states is something that I always knew because it was something that I have always seen or have been taught. Later on that day, I did some more thinking on the subject & I realized there is a good deal of family history that I have been deprived from; my Dad's side of the family is still somewhat of a mystery to me since none of his parents I have never met nor never seen any pictures of. I knew little about his mother & knowing that she was also African American, but as far as his father is concerned, the only thing that I have heard was that he was mixed by my brother. This still leaves me with many questions about our family's diversity and where all of us are from, but since I have been deprived of accurate information for so long, it's easy for me to lose sight of the unknown & only go by what I currently witness. According to my personal scenario, this is what I think that uprooting & re-grounding feels like; not knowing enough information can leave you quite  dumbfounded in certain instances because you were never informed in the first place.

The Warmth of Other Suns also provides another plethora of how migration brings along change in how a "culture" persists. Our group's character was George & his story was quite interesting. George wanted to pursue a college education, but was forced to work in the citrus groves of Florida; he was growing intolerable of the exploitation of Black workers & the Jim Crow south (Florida ironically being the strictest of the era), but later found out the he had an order out for him to be lynched while constructing protests to aid in the betterment of pay then planned to head up North. As George thought that he would have better circumstances than being in the South, he was actually still in the same position as he was while being exploited in the groves.

What stuck out to me the most was how strict the Jim Crow Era was in Florida in comparison to what we all see now. The span of time drastically changed the history of what this state was to the point where it seems like it never even existed. Now, people from all backgrounds are embracing being a native Floridian due to it being a huge destination spot for leisure & not praising the history. This is one prime example of how a common "culture" can be uprooted & re-grounded to deflect from negative pasts over spans of time. I feel that there are more ways migration can shape our lenses, but it can get pretty lengthy, so I'll just wrap this up here!