rtist Jacob Lawrence was one of the great visual storytellers of the 20th century, and a few years ago I had a chance to see his epic series at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Through 60 narrative panels, done in casein tempera on hardboard all the same size, 18 by 12 inches, Lawrence told the story of the Great Migration. This event started during World War I when there was a labor shortage up north and African Americans were eager to leave the South, where racial discrimination still reigned, and sought a better life for themselves and their families. “I do not look upon the story of
