“It was during the First World War that a silent pilgrimage took its first steps within the borders of this country.” The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

This book embodies an incredible American story. A story often not acknowledged. The story of a people in search of a new horizon. The history of a people in search of freedom, safety, opportunity, and stability. I see and experience this as I reflect on the history of my family and others.

This book is evokes the narrative of how my Great Grandmother Louise Kirby settled with my Great Grandfather Luke Kirby in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from Farmville, Virginia. It is the story of how my grandmother advocated for her daughter (Valerie-Ann) to attend Solis Cohen Elementary in Northeast, Philadelphia during the era of integration. It is the story of how my Great Uncle Junior (Luke Kirby II) would bring Tastykake baked goods from the Tastykake Factory to share with his extended family in Germantown.

The richness of this bold and eloquent nonfiction narrative continues to resonate!As I reflect on this book, I see myself, family, children and America. I implore every American family to read this book. It tells the story of America and the ongoing search for opportunity.