AFRICAN-AMERICAN ACTRESSES WERE ALL OVER HOLLYWOOD in the 20th century, yet their names are rarely spoken. While most of us know the interesting and inspiring story of Hattie McDaniel, there were other Black woman taking on the very white – and very male – Hollywood scene, too. Today you’re going to get to know aContinue reading “Cheerfully, but with Argument”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Executive Order 9066
AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND JAPANESE-AMERICAN HISTORIES collide in this upcoming story. And as per usual, a Black woman is central to the telling. Mollie Wilson Murphy (or Molly, sources differ) grew up in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Born on January 6, 1926, Mollie lived on Boulder Street between Evergreen and Sloat, just north ofContinue reading “Executive Order 9066”
“The Horn Has Always Gotten Me Into a Lot of Trouble”
As our so-called government actively works to bury and dispute any history that includes people of color, queer citizens and the poor, my activity of Great Migration story-gathering sometimes feels futile. Like trying to swim against a giant ocean wave. (Which I would never even come close to doing because I’m scared of those things).Continue reading ““The Horn Has Always Gotten Me Into a Lot of Trouble””
Come On In, The Water’s —
IF YOU EVER GO SWIMMING AT THE ROSE BOWL, you’ll see that the Recreational Pool deck has a plaque with a name on it. Do you know whose name that is? Well, the pool is named after Dr. Edna Griffin who, among many things, was the first Black female physician in Pasadena. But why wouldContinue reading “Come On In, The Water’s —”
Rain on the Parade
SHE WAS NOMINATED TO BE PASADENA’S 1959 “MISS CROWN CITY,” but Joan Roberta Williams never rode a float in the Rose Parade, though that was the tradition. Because there wasn’t one. When city officials found out that the twenty-six-year-old woman who was to represent their fair city was a Black woman, they declined to enterContinue reading “Rain on the Parade”
On the Avenue
CLUB ALABAM WAS ONE OF LOS ANGELES’ MOST FAMOUS NIGHTSPOTS ON CENTRAL AVENUE. Formerly the Apex Club, it started up in the early 1930s and was still going strong in 1952, when Josephine Baker performed there. When talking about the heyday of Central Ave, Club Alabam was the name on every musician’s and partier’s lips.Continue reading “On the Avenue”
The Long Way: a Short Story (conclusion)
THE WEATHER WAS GETTING HOTTER and Ronald was down to a light T-shirt and shorts in the truck. He never wore what some people called a “wife-beater.” For one thing, it was a terrible name. And for another, he just felt as if there was something disrespectful to have that much skin showing as aContinue reading “The Long Way: a Short Story (conclusion)”
The Long Way: a Short Story (part 3)
It was always green salsa for her. That was how Toni was raised. Her uncle would make both red and green for big parties and holidays, but for the most part on the dinner table each night was salsa verde. And the Valentina for heat. She kept a bottle of it in her desk now,Continue reading “The Long Way: a Short Story (part 3)”
The Long Way: a Short Story (part 2)
EDWARD MET RONALD IN A HOME DEPOT parking lot in Burbank, standing with a group of men waiting for day’s work. The two started talking about their home countries, about cooking, about soccer…and they hit it off. Edward was still doing construction a year later, after landing a union job that kept him busy buildingContinue reading “The Long Way: a Short Story (part 2)”
The Long Way: a Short Story (part 1)
EVERY DAY AT 8:30 AM RONALD PULLS HIS FOOD TRUCK UP to the sixth parking meter down from the corner of Verdad Street and Palm Boulevard in Los Angeles. Verdad is a wide street, its lanes feeding into all sorts of directions. Heading north, cars can veer off to the community college or the park;Continue reading “The Long Way: a Short Story (part 1)”