Mildred Howard
United States, b. 1945

The trains were the instrument of the great migration to California. Railroad tracks displaced people across the continent and into another era. . . . History and memory teach us to value the images of our past. Knowing that we made the journey, we can better understand why we are here. History tells us about the future and helps us to see where we are going.

Mildred Howard, “Last Train from Caney Creek to 16th and Wood,” artist statement (San Francisco: Capp Street Project, 1994).