The Great Migration of Black people was one of the most significant movements of people in the United States’ history. Approximately six million Black people moved from the South to the Northern, Midwestern, and Western states from the 1910s until the 1970s. Escaping racial violence was the driving force behind escaping, along with economic and educational opportunities.
According to the Indiana Minority Business Magazine, the 1820 census recorded 1,230 Black people in Indiana, with at least 50 residing in 10 Indiana counties. An estimated 498 lived in Indianapolis by 1869. By 1950, Indianapolis alone had a Black population of 30,796. For perspective, by 1950, there were over 362,096 Black residents in Chicago.