“Habitual return highlights the importance of maintaining cultural practices and history between generations to anchor one’s identity and sense of self.”

Helen canned peaches, sewed and patched quilts, and prepped her children for a cross-country trek. Her husband, J. L., had set out months ago with her brothers, joining the steady flow of people leaving rural Arkansas for California—the land of gold, military jobs, and palm trees. For these men, the Golden State held the promise of better lives for all. It was a place where their brown-skinned wives would not have to work in the homes of white men, and the names of local landmarks would not consist of racial slurs.