A professor of history at the university of illinois at chicago. She studies race and agenda in the u. S. Wes bridges a member of. She was awarded the of one historians. 119 she was a fellow of the huntington library. Her new book is west of jim crow the fight against californias color line. Thank you for being with us and im going to hand it over to yu and i will see you again for q a thank you so much. Im just so happy to be here. Let me just get this going. First of all i have big thank you to give to the California Historical society. I frankly would not have had a career without them. They have been helping me every single step along my career. I have visited them for my first book where did much of my research and the old library and the library into the curators, i cant say enough. I could spend all my time thinking how the library into the special shout out to karen jacob for helping me in setting this program up but i also want to give a shoutout to Deborah Hoffman the archivist. One of my chapters would not have existed without her help and Allison Moore whom ive worked with for years. She was one of the people who gave me the idea for this book. She really and courage me to write the chapter on this International Exposition which really launch the book so anyway thanks and a lot of appreciation for you all. So lets get to it. What ive tried to do in this book is to give a sense of the breath and the depth of White Supremacy in california. To reveal the extent of jim crowe or segregationist practices and antipractices. I also in attempting to underscore the complex system of networks of resistance that have existed in the state. That involved networks of africanamericans mexicanamericans and their allies from statehood to the Civil Rights Movement. Clearly one book has not documented everything on segregation. Well i went up and down the state and time in Public Libraries from riverside to fontana and lots of time at the bankrupt i have tried to focus on six stories that i think shows something of the contours of jim crow and as i said the beginning of the freedom movement. Many other scholars have documented the nuanced ways to jim crowell operated in the states. They helped us understand the ways that racism and segregation have operated across the state but for the most part those were considered the 20th century and when i was interested in was charting the beginnings of the system how was it established segregation White Supremacy and how was it refined and established before what we think of as the 1950s and the episodes that we all recognize as being a part of these episodes a part of the Civil Rights Movement like the bus boycott or the sitin movement. So its before that era. What i want to do today is i want to focus on stories in chapter 5 of my book, story about how africanamericans and their allies pushed back against racial weight restricted housing and the role of White Supremacists and a particularly the in that story. Its a story that involves some figures that are wellknown to california. Publishing black newspaper published out of Central Avenue in los angeles. A very important figure, some of you might know about her, the first black woman to run for Vice President in 1962 on the Progressive Party ticket but my interest in this story, shes one of the first to talk about the arrival of the ku klux klan and the most formidable. When you think about the ku klux klan, probably talk about the origins of the clan in American History after the civil war, forming the effort to stop africanamericans in their quest for freedom. You see the published in harpers weekly in 1974 showing the clan there. On the left is newly freed slave and you can see the word there worse than slavery. Now the plan of the 19th century we associate very much with the moment of freedom right and with its foundation in the south and the terror that it, you know, promulgated across the south. But my concern tonight is not that plan. But what we call the second plan it is the second plan of the 1920s that became particularly strong in the u. S. West also in the midwest. And some of you might remember in the 1920s the clan was popular in idaho and indiana but it was also strong in california. And its this clan that have noticed in 1921. It was that year that the clan arrived in Downtown Los Angeles setting up the office right there in town. And the eagle immediately ran front page headlines showing entertain the clan and i have also an article what should we do about arrival of the clans that instructed about the dangering of the clan a march to clan health in Downtown Los Angeles in 1924 and while the strength of this clan in california remains Southern California, it did spread up and down the state. So there were chapters of his clan oakland and anaheim, in San Bernardino county, riverside, up and down the state. You know, the fledgling aacp and we questioned what do we know about this organization and what can we do to stop it so assume the clan arrived africanamericans across the state organized and now sometimes this clan has had the reputation of being a sort of more professional clan in some ways. That meaning that members were members of professional class, and there have been studies that show that a lotss of the california clan members of the 1920s ran for office down in the city council. Where middle class outstanding homeowners, well in some ways has obscured the violence that this clan also practiced so what i want to say one of the points i make in the book and chapter is homeowners and clan in california is that we cant be fooled by this portrayal of this second clan or even the third clan tht im going to talk about in a minute as somehow less dangerous. Another kind of myth or idea that some folks have about second clan they werent concerned with africanamericans unlike first clan that was clearly targeting newly freed black americans. The second clan of the 20th century was more concerned about america immigrants in america. They were but again, in california, they were also always concerned with africanamericans and their presence was a threat to clan members in california. So i wanted to just say that and the clan received tremendous publicity in 1322 when it raided the home of a mexican family in inglewood is a picture of clans as a funeral because members at a funeral when clans attempted to raid this home they accused this family of being bootleggers and a constable was shot and then the clan was then brought brought to the attention of the d. A. And there was a trial. So while everyone might not have known about the arrival of the clan in california and 1920s, this episode became national news. After that trial the d. A. Was alerted and told to investigate the membership of the clan and find out if this is, in fact, this organization strong and members were, and what danger it might represent to the state. Now, this led to a raid on clan headquarters. And the d. A. Office uncovered in that raid surprised even the most member confiscated member from the l. A. Headquarters of the ku klux klan reveal over 3,000 clan members in l. A. County alone over 1,000 in the city itself including three on the d. A. s staff and two on those list spoke volume l. A. Chief of plains the l. A. County sheriff were both members. As a black man being messenger put it on their report on the raid, quote, no courageous thinker would can rely on police and the authorities when the evidence of the t police and authorities are members of the ku klux klan end quote. Now, whens one would think that this episode would have put an end to the california clan. But after the trial was botched thats a long story i dont have time to go into but you can read about in chapter five but all of the clan members raided this house acquitted with their attack of the mexican couples house. They wrote to the headquarters in new york and said that the clan, quote, continued to operate openly everything to trial. So what does this all have to do with housing . And segregation now, contraryoe to popular assumptions as i said earlier, the clan, this clan had a focus on africanamericans as well as immigrants catholics, and others. But i want to get back to as i mention another assumption about the clan that i want us to get rid of here. And that is that sometimes believe that the clan disappeared during the 30s and withid especially world war ii d similar by the ideology. So here we have kind of the the tampening down of the second clan. And many believe that that was kind of the end of it. Right . Women have been possible for the clan to be spouting their own white supremacistth ideologies one believes. During the war and, in fact, they did go underground for a while. But they didnt disappear and that really important in california history. Because it is in the war years, especially in 45 and 46 actually, that we see the resurgence of the clan in california an might call this the third clan. And their new target their particular target are black and brown families who are moving into white only areas of the state. And their rage is often at war veteran so this is the clan that i want to spend more time talking about tonight. This im sorry is an undated photograph from state north ridge but i want to start now diving into the story about segregate housing one of the thing that the third clan wants to stop is black and brown homeowners moving into previously white only neighborhoods. Now, you might some of you might be familiar with this man. One was a prominent black attorney later a judge and he was the naacp point person on the legality of restricted housing. Now, many of you im sure are familiar with the term restricted covenant thats the part that say that this house, this property may never be sold to and it might say a negro oriental a mexican using language of the 19 teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 350u these covenant these restricted deeds ensured that these would be white only or so segregationists hoped. Miller made it his business like charlotteto investigate restrictions and see grow segregated housing and she was the point person on this part of the law. And he would be instrumental in fighting against restricted housing. He would be one of the lead attorneys up and down the state for dozens and dozens of cases. Where black folks moved into previously white neighborhoods. He also defended smflt most high profile cases in the nation including the case of mcdamage actor who won the oscar for gone with the wind. So he would be a part of the story. Now for the story of odeay short. Odeay short was a refrigeration engineer who had lived and worked in los angeles for 25 years. By 1945, now many black angelenos he was frustrated by Wartime Housing shortages. He was a father of Young Children and there you see his daughter ann s and his son dairy and wife helen and they were feeling squeezed out of the desirable neighborhoods in los angeles by the restricted housing. And restricted covenants. So Lauren Miller estimated that about 8 0 of Southern California housing were tied in restricted housing and restricted covenant theme so short that year, that lucky break and got a job at the kaiser steel plant with a picture of them inside the plant 1929. Now, many of you have heard of kaiser surely Kaiser Permanente right and health clinic. Kaiser is in montana was a boom for black workers. As were his shipbuilding yards in Northern California. But this steel plant was in montana right east of l. A. And frontier had promoted itself as a base of restriction. So when l. J. Short got a job at an engineer at this plant, he felt like he won the lottery. It was a good job. Age kaiser plant was the first west coasts facility to turn steel product on one site. Its opening according to one historian turned into a bench mark of the steel making. The jobs as i said were a boom for africanamericans and as an engineer short got better wages than most black workers and lower paying lower status jobs. So in 1945, in december, odeay short and his family moved to a 500 acre land in montana now the property was south of the street and in an area of town where no black family had ever lived. And as soon as the family moved into their house, however, they were visited by two white sheriffs who told odeay short that he was out of bounds. He should leave the white only neighborhood and move to the black neighborhood on the other side of baseline street. On december 3rd, the Real Estate Agent who sold sort the lot told him, quote, vigilante had a meeting on your case theyre a rough bunch and i would get my family off this property at once noww odeay short was well aware that the vigilantes, in fact, were clan members aen he prepared for trouble he did three things. First he called his attorney ivan johnson who is law partner of Lauren Miller. Second, he contacted the fbi and third, he contacted members of the black press. Which the california eagle is also another black newspaper a los angeles sentinel sental ran down headlines in the case and recounted threat that he had received from the sheriff about vigilantes. Ten days later, shorts house burst into flames the fire that engulfed the property began with an explosion and neighbors rushed to the scene. The family manage to the escape the house but not before they were severe sly burned and next door neighbors go then to the hospital in a statement later to the press these neighbors said they didnt know it was a black family because they were like skin they assumed they were white. So little girl tara died 15 minutes after she was admitted and the boy barry died the next morning n as their mother did helen these some coverage from the San Bernardino press. As soon as the fire subsided, conflicting reports circulated about its cause, white neighbors, though, agreed that the responsibility with the fire lay withth the short according o the theory from the press many neighbors mr. Short was lighting lantern for a lap lamp and it exploded. Now, the black press wasnt having it. The california eagle and the sentinel and both local branch in l. A. Chapter also investigated the crime. And as as they began to investigate the crime it quickly became apparent that it wouldnt have been possible for a lamp or lantern to cause that kind of explosion theres a picture of the eagle office. Eagle office because the walls of the house were not to the ground. So this lamp or lantern theory the black press and then the naach was out on this theory. Now, its a long investigation process. Many months of investigation which i dont have time to detail steps of this but in aftermath as a murder of the eagle reported, there was elaborate coverup of evidence that would have led to criminal conviction. That coroner for example in his investigation was refusing to admit evidence that the shorts had been threatened by vigilantes thehe lantern itself that was still intact that supposedly blew up would not enter into many of the investigations. Andre the San Bernardino distrit attorney became clear to that the eagle and sental naacp was in midst of leading this coverup. But there was also an organization organized redistance to the coverup and the efforts to seek justice for the short family were also ongoing. In 1946 montana writes who was a lead ere of the Los Angeles Socialist Workers Party wrote and published this pamphlet the terror in montana she driblghted this pamphlet and spoke about the shorts murder across the country. This pamphlet also i want to note had a foreward but the sister of helen so odeay shorts sisterinlaw in addition to the social Workers Party the they pressured governor, the director attorneyov of San Bernardino to investigate the murders. Since odeay short had been refrigeration engineer he also had been a member of the Labor Movement and the cio in particular put t pressure on ste officials to investigate the murder. Now, state attorney general Robert Kennedy did begin to investigate the murder and the plan as he promised in independence investigation. And nothing came of it. Much to the disappointment of this organized resistance, and editorial and deliberate summed it up. What any person can no with entire certainty is that the shorts was a victimmed jim crow he kept the shorts from finding home in los angeles and jim crow kept him in a role of a violator of tradition which he built his loss on the purchase. Jim crow worked a sense of duty to the extent they themselves had joined in a plan to deprive an american citizen of his constitutional right. All of the shorts did only jim crow is alive. Now, this story doesnt quite end there. Because jimmy in 1946 stepped up his effort to investigate the plan. Here you have kennedy here on the far right with two of his Staff Members one is in a clan cocktail and 1946 the clan stepped up his efforts to terrorize black homeowners and this costed timmy to hisstigate, continue investigation of the clan. That year in 1946 the plan burned crosses and homes of many black homeowners across Southern California it also burned across in front of the Jewish Fraternity because fraternity hadd support an end and of 1946 kennedy and colin clan members entered office. But again, the results were disheartening for thosega seekig justice for the shorts. He foundti no evidence of socalled vigilante activity to be directed at the Africanamerican Community and montana or against mr. Short personally. Now many people wondered if kennedy would respond to murders was linked to his governor that year. He went up against earl warren and was defeated. But what kennedy did do was help of an l. A. Superior court judge is to revoke charter of the ku klux klan there shall making it unl