Lynn hudson is from the university of illinois in chicago, the study of race and gender is the author of the black entrepreneurship in 19 centuries San Francisco. From women historians, in 2019, the fight against californias discrimination and White Supremacy in california. I will handed over to you and see you again. Let me get this going. I would not have had a career historian without them. They have been me every step along my career. I have visited them where i did much of my research about maryellen pleasant, cant say enough, special part of that. I also give a shout out to the archivist, one of my chapters will not exist and allison more that i worked with for years is one of the people who gave me the idea of this book, and they launched the book, and lets get to it. And in the expense, with antiblack practices. The complex networks of resistance that have existed that involves networks of africanamericans and allies from statehood and the Civil Rights Movement. One book does not document every instance of segregation. They spent time in Public Libraries from riverside to montana, lack of time and focus on six stories that show the contours of jim crow, many other scholars have documented the nuanced ways jim crow operated in the state, scholars like scott, kelly hernandez, to name a few. They help us understand the ways racism and segregation are paraded across the state. Chartering the beginnings of the system. With antiblack practices, how is it refined and established before the 1950s and the first roads we recognize as part of the Civil Rights Movement like montgomery bus boycotts and before that area. In chapter 5 of my book, the way allies pushed back against racially restrictive housing and that all of white supremacist and the ku klux klan in that story. It involved some figures that are wellknown to scholars in california history. The longest 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 another White Supremacist Organization and you can see the words worse than slavery. We associate them with a moment of freedom with foundations in the south and the terror that promulgated across the south. My concern is the second clan of the 1920s that became particularly strong in the midwest. You might remember the clan was popular in ohio and indiana but was also strong in california and 1921, that year the clan arrived in Downtown Los Angeles and the california eagle ran front page headlines showing shall we entertain the clan and what should we do about the arrival, talking about the dangers of the clan held in Downtown Los Angeles in 1924. And while the strength of this plan, it did spread up and down, oakland and anaheim. The fledgling naacp founded the alarm and road to the national office, what do we know about this, what can we do about this . As soon as the clan arrived, africanamericans across the state organized against it, the reputation of being a more congressional professional clan meaning members of the professional class. A lot of california clan members in the 1920s ran for office on city council, were middleclass outstanding homeowners was up secured by the violence, one of the points i make about the clan in california is we cant be full by this portrayal of the second clan or the third clan i will talk about in a minute. The concern with africanamericans unlike the first clan targeting newly freed black americans is the second was more concerned about catholics in america and immigrants in america, there were concerns about African Americans and their presence was a threat to clan members. I want to say that. The clan of california received tremendous publicity in 1922 when it rated the home of a mexican family and inglewood. This is a picture of clans at a funeral, and being bootleggers, a constable was shot, the clan was been and there was a trial. Everyone might not have known about this but this episode became national news. After that trial, to investigate the membership of the clan, to the states. This led to a raid on clan headquarters. What the das office covered surprised the observer. The la headquarters of the ku klux klan revealed 3000 clan members in la county alone, 1000 s. Including the da staff, and two names on the list spoke volumes, the la chief of police and la county sheriff were both members. The messenger put it in their report on the raid the same courageous thinker would contend that negroes can rely on police and the authorities when the evidence reveals the police and authorities are members of the ku klux klan. One would think this episode would put a end to the california clan but after the trial was botched, you can read about that in chapter 5 in which all these clan members debated their attack the local naacp, they continued to operate ever since the trial. What does this have to do with housing and segregation . Contrary to popular assumptions, this clan at a focus on africanamericans and catholics and others and another assumption i want us to get rid of and some believe that the clan disappeared during the 30s and especially world war ii, the tamping down of the second clan. Many believed that was the end of it for the clan to be spouting their own white supremacist ideology and they didnt go underground, in the war years 5, 46 for the resurgence of the clan, we call this the third clan and target is black and brown families moving into white and brown areas of the state. Is the clan i want to talk about. Photograph from north ridge. One of the things the plan hopes to stop is black and brown homeowners through previously white neighborhoods some of you might know that miller was a prominent attorney or later a judge and was the point person on legality unrestricted housing. Many of you are familiar with the term restricting covenants that this house, this property may never be sold. Miller was naacp person on this part of the law and he would be instrumental against restrictive housing. Hed be a lead attorney up and down the state for thousands and thousands were black folks moved into previously white neighborhoods. He also defended some of the most highprofile patients including the case mcdaniel, the one who won the oscar so he it does part of the story also. Oh day short was a refrigeration engineer who lived and worked in los angeles 25 years by 1945. Like many black angelenos, heres frustrating by the housing shortage. His father of Young Children i do see his daughter and his wife, helen and they were of the desired neighborhoods by restrictive housing. The estimated about 80 of socal was tied up in restrictive housing. So that your had a lucky break and he got a job the plant from 1949. Many of you have heard of Kaiser Permanente clinic. In montana, the black workers in his shipbuilding yard in Northern California. But this plant was in montana east of l. A. And fontana promoted itself as a place of jim crow restriction so his job as an engineer at this. , he felt like he won the lottery. It was a good job and the plan was the first facility for the products on one site. Its an international benchmark. The job was a boom for africanamericans and they labored in lower pain, lower status jobs. 1945 in december, oh day short and his family moved to a plot of land and fontana. The property was south of baseline street there was an area where no family could ever live. As soon as they moved into their house, they were visited by two white sheriffs and told him he is out of bounds. He moved to the black neighborhood on the other side of the road. December 3, the Real Estate Agent who sold short the lot fulltime, the Vigilante Committee had a meeting on your case last night, they are a rough bunch to deal with. If i were you, i get my family off this property. Oh day short was well aware the vigilante for clan members and he prepared for trouble did three things. First, he called his attorney, who was a law partner. Second, he contacted the fbi entered he contacted members of the flock press. California eagle and another black neighborhood. They have recounted the threats he received from the sheriff about the vigilante. Ten days later, it burst into flames. The fire that engulfed the property begin with the explosion and neighbors electrically. The family managed to escape the house but not before they were all severely burned. Nextdoor neighbors statement later to the press the neighbor said they didnt know was a black family because they assumed they were right. The little girl 15 minutes after she was admitted in the boy died the next morning as to their mother, having. Here is some coverage of the press. As soon as the fire subsided, reports circulated, white neighbors agreed the responsibility of the fire light with short. Mr. Short was lighting a lamp and it exploded. Black press wasnt having it. The california eagle suspected foul play and sent reporters to the scene of the crime, naacp and the l. A. Chapter also investigated the crime. As they began to investigate the crime, it became apparent that it was almost impossible for a lantern to cross that kind of explosion. Heres a picture of the eagle office because the walls of the house were knocked to the ground so the lamp or lantern theory, they should doubt on this theory. Now its a long investigation process, many months of investigation and i dont have time to do to help all of it but in the aftermath of the murder, there is an elaborate coverup of evidence that would have led to criminal conviction. The corner in his investigation refused to admit evidence that was set by vigilantes. The lantern itself so intact i supposedly blew up was not entered into the investigation and the District Attorney, it became clear in the midst of this coverup but there was also an organized resistance to the coverup and the efforts to seek justice for the family were also ongoing. 1946, a leader of the Los Angeles Socialist Workers Party wrote and published this pamphlet. She distributed the pamphlet happened on the state across the country and she spoke about the short murder across the country. There was a forward by the sister of helen, his sisterinlaw. In addition to the workers party, the Labor Movement also pressured the governor, District AttorneySan Bernardino to investigate the murders. Since it is a refrigeration engineer, hed also been a member of the Labor Movement and cio in particular put pressure on state officials to investigate the murder. State attorney general robert the murder in the client, he promised an investigation but nothing came of it much to the disappointment of the organized resistance. An editorial and deliberative summed it up. When any person propel with entire certainty, the shorts were a victim of jim crow. Theyre finding a home in Los Angeles Jim crow was a violator of Community Tradition and built his house on the lot he purchased, the deputy sheriffs and set them selves toward a plan to deprive american citizens of his constitutional right. All the shorts are dead, only jim crow is alive. The story doesnt quite and fair because jimmy in 1946 stepped up efforts to investigate the client. You have penny here on the far right with two members, one is in a clan costume. 1946, the client step up efforts to terrorize black homeowners in this cost to continue the investigation. That year in 1946, the client and the homes of many black homeowners across socal, and also burned a Jewish Fraternity at usc because the fraternity put in and in spring of 1946, they began calling clan members into his office but again the results were disheartening for those seeking justice for the shorts. He found no evidence he found no evidence of vigilante activity to be directed at the Africanamerican Community against mister short personally. Many people wondered if kennys tepid response was linked to his bid for governor that year. He went up against earl warren and was defeated. But what kenny did do was the help of a superior court judge is to revoke the charter making it unlawful for the organization or meeting in the state. Carolina behalf had her own confrontations with the flag and knew it was symbolic. In the 1950s, clan activities were doomed. Are here you have a picture from 1962. The timeline for this photo in the examiner was new racial intimidation feared. You can read the caption, the reporter examining the letters kkk on the sidewalk in front of a black family and the home of a negro tshirt was recently bombed. That was William Bailey who lives in South Central la and clan attacks continue in the 50s. We also know that brown versus board of education in 1954 would inspire White Supremacists to push back against integration, with new inspiration so while the clan may have morphed into a different kind of organization it had not disappeared. So just going to close here. The threat segregationists saw was many layered. They were educated men with good jobs, they could purchase property, they could vote, they could inhabit public spaces and institutions. The california eagle or los angeles sentinel mounted against housing discrimination and the clan was formidable but miller never acted alone. Joined by the naacp, the cio, the communist party and experts like Terry Mcwilliams and van marshall californias movement against restricted housing went broad and deep. Individuals across the state few of them remembered risked everything to across the color line and move into neighborhoods known to be watched by the kkk. Oday short and his family and others sounded the alarm against the client. The white supremacist violence since 1940 found no expression in fontana after the brown versus board decision. The back lash against School Desegregation and revival of the plan became so successful that by 1965, president Lyndon Johnson ordered an investigation. Two years earlier in 1963, an africanamerican captain in the air force bought a house in San Bernardino only to watch it destroyed by arsonists before he and his family could move in. Little had changed in the 17 years since the murder of the shorts. The golden state had long punished africanamericans who dared to challenge segregation. Some paid with their lives. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you so much. Keep the card. Anybody have questions in the q and a box, and maybe while people are starting to do that i read a quote by you in an interview and you said sitting to the south you might learn about chicago, you dont hear stories about los angeles or the west. Why do you think do you think that is changing . That is a great question. My recollections are dated. School teachers in the west and california are doing so much to teach children about resistance, and the movement in the west. I will get to my question in a minute. I want to say that i know School Teachers in the west are teaching about the west. I personally didnt learn about the Civil Rights Movement in the west even in my hometown. I grew up in pasadena and a lot of what i learned about, i learned from acquaintances and teachers but not the approved curriculum. I learned from teachers like stokes, my eighth grade teacher who taught us about black history and a program that was extracurricular. I learned stories from Matt Robinson who worked at my high school who told stories about the Robinson Family that i recounted my book. So i think a lot of things have changed in my public school. One of the reasons its left out of the textbooks, not about public teachers necessarily but the textbooks. The textbooks get to the chapter on civil rights and it is always Martin Luther king, the south, montgomery, alabama, maybe chicago, maybe. That also has to change and with the work of the scholars i mentioned at the beginning of my talk i think it is changing, but to see the Civil Rights Movement and White Supremacy as National Phenomenon and the resistance against White Supremacy as something that is national. I have questions. I am going to do the first one but want to remind you, the q and a, we will get through in order. The first one, how did brown versus board of education restrict housing for people of color with that connection there . So, so very quickly at the end when i was reading from my book, the back lash against brown was phenomenal, across the country. That unanimous decision that segregation was not equal, we know that it didnt necessarily get implemented in the ways folks might have liked. We know the backlash against brown was phenomenal and something we are still living with today. Those of you who are interested, the book democracy in chains where she charts the way that think tanks and scholars and politicians who were part of the backlash against brown, who were against brown versus board, fighting integration, the way the