As a history educator, I would use film to help students gain a deeper understanding of the historical background of the Great Migration, as the medium offers insights into the period through characters’ experiences and the plot. I would require students to watch the 1995 film adaptation of August Wilson’s play “The Piano Player,” a fictional story set in Pittsburgh in the 1930s, during the Great Migration and the Great Depression. The film centers on two siblings’ struggle over the future of a family heirloom, a piano. Boy Willie wants to sell the piano to buy the land where their ancestors were once enslaved, while his sister, Bernice, is determined to keep it in the family because the images carved on the wood represent their family’s legacy. Even though this film is historical fiction, it can be valuable in helping students see the lived experiences of African Americans during this time period.

I chose this film because it delivers a strong portrayal of the daily lives of working-class African Americans who migrated to Pittsburgh during this period. This film taps into the emotional, financial, and personal challenges African Americans faced as they resettled in the North during the Great Migration. The migrants’ fears during this transition are also brought to life through the actor’s interaction with the heirloom piano, which is a character and seems to symbolize the spirit of their ancestor’s former enslaver. As the plot unfolds, we are introduced to the film’s main conflict- the fate of the piano.

The main characters present viewers with two distinct choices, each representing the opposing views that African Americans faced during the Great Migration- should they stay in the South and rebuild their lives, or should they go North? By presenting these opposing perspectives, the film illustrates the complex decisions made by those who migrated. Students will hopefully be encouraged to reflect, discuss, and even argue about the choices and sacrifices those who experienced the Great Migration might have made. In so doing, the choice of a historical film can enable students to critically examine the narrative and be moved to respond to what they have seen (Davis, 2000).

I would also incorporate scholarly digital storytelling into the history education context by giving students the opportunity to create a digital project on the Great Migration using digital tools. Students will have the opportunity to select  one person, region, or event from the Great Migration to highlight in their story. I would provide students access to primary sources that provide multiple accounts and perspectives to read and analyze. I would also engage students with the materials to help them not only understand the historical context of the sources but also see them through the lens of “uncomfortable strangeness,” with the goal of motivating their inquiry and, hopefully, prompting them to ask questions. In their work, students would be tasked with using primary sources to support their arguments and have opportunities to develop historical thinking skills as they create their projects.