The Negro Migrant in Pittsburgh

This quietly ambitious study paints a picture of the Great Migration’s early wave into Pittsburgh’s steel heartland. Drawing on census figures, employment records, and firsthand observations made between 1917 and 1918, the author maps how thousands of African‑American workers arrived to fill labor shortages left by the war and the decline of European immigration. The narrative sets the scene of crowded neighborhoods, bustling factories, and the social tensions that accompanied rapid demographic change.

In addition to chronicling the demographic surge, the work delves into concrete community concerns such as housing shortages, health risks, and rising instances of juvenile delinquency. By organizing data into clear tables and graphs, the researcher offers a balanced social‑economic analysis and concludes with practical recommendations for civic leaders, settlement workers, and labor organizers. Listeners will come away with a nuanced understanding of how early 20th‑century public policy and grassroots effort intersected to shape the lives of new migrants.