Letters Home: The Great Migration and the Power of Connection

Historian Jim Bruns discusses the Postal Service’s role in the Great Migration, a decades-long movement that saw millions of Black Americans leave the rural South for cities in the North in search of safety and opportunity. This episode explores how the Postal Service became a lifeline during this era, driving expansion in urban neighborhoods and creating new employment opportunities for Black Americans as one of the few federal employers offering stability and advancement. It also examines how the mail laid the groundwork for civil rights organizing, unionization, and voter outreach by helping educate and mobilize new generations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.