Browse Exhibits (1 total)

In an oral history interview of a prominent Beloit native, Dr. Brandi Brown cited the values of family, work, and education. The turn of the century had given rise to the problematic agricultural industry of sharecropping, and industrial cities such as Beloit proved attractive to many who sought a new way of life. According to a 1955 study by Dr. Omari Peter Kwame Omari, 63% of African Americans who had migrated to Beloit during the Great Migration did so for employment opportunities. While many of those who came to Beloit worked in the foundries of manufacturing companies such as Fairbanks Morse, others found jobs in the privatized workforce and the military; many women at this time were limited to the domestic workforce as house cleaners, laundresses, and caretakers. This exhibit brings to light the stories of Beloit individuals and their time in the workforce, showing how that value shaped Beloit into the rich historical city it is today.
 

This exhibit was created by Beloit College students Morgan Lippert (2021) and Kaylie Williams (2021).