Continued racial discrimination and lynchings, agricultural depression, and the failure of the cotton crops due to boll weevil infestation led tens of thousands of African Americans from rural Alabama and other states to seek opportunities in northern and midwestern cities during the early decades of the 20th century as part of the Great Migration out of the South.
kəntˈɪnjuːd ɹˈeɪʃəl dɪskɹˌɪmᵻnˈeɪʃən ænd lˈɪntʃɪŋz, ˌæɡɹɪkˈʌltʃɚɹəl dᵻpɹˈɛʃən, ænd ðə fˈeɪlɪɹ ʌvðə kˈɑːʔn̩ kɹˈɑːps dˈuː tə bˈɑːl wˈiːvəl ɪnfɛstˈeɪʃən lˈɛd tˈɛnz ʌv θˈaʊzəndz ʌv ˈæfɹɪkən ɐmˈɛɹɪkənz fɹʌm ɹˈʊɹɹəl ˌæləbˈæmə ænd ˈʌðɚ stˈeɪts tə sˈiːk ɑːpɚtˈuːnᵻɾiz ɪn nˈɔːɹðɚn ænd mɪdwˈɛstɚn sˈɪɾiz dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðɪ ˈɜːli dˈɛkeɪdz ʌvðə twˈɛntiəθ sˈɛntʃɚɹi æz pˈɑːɹt ʌvðə ɡɹˈeɪt maɪɡɹˈeɪʃən ˌaʊɾəv ðə sˈaʊθ.