Dr. Vada Somerville (born Vada Jetmore Watson) of Pomona graduated from USC, married dentist John Alexander Somerville (1912), was the first African American woman and the second African American person to graduate from USC School of Dentistry (1918), and was the first African American woman certified to practice dentistry in the state of California. She was a civil rights activist, highly involved in several civic and community organizations.
African American church wedding with the bride and groom beneath a canopy in the center and approximately 20 guests in the pews. Flowers adorn the church.
Grafton Tyler Brown was an African American who artist worked as a lithographer, cartographer and landscape painter capturing images of landscapes in the northwest United States, and British Columbia.
Theodore Johnson standing in front of a tree and holding a photograph of a track and field athlete (?). Johnson was probably related to Ivan J. Johnson.
Chevalier de Saint-Georges was a champion fencer, classical composer, virtuoso violinist, and conductor of the leading symphony orchestra in Paris. Born in Guadeloupe, he was the son of George Bologne de Saint-Georges, a wealthy planter, and Nanon, his African slave. During the French Revolution, Saint-Georges was colonel of the Légion St.-Georges, the first all-black regiment in Europe, fighting on the side of the Republic. Today the Chevalier de Saint-Georges is best remembered as the first classical composer of African ancestry. [Wikipedia]
Jeremiah B. Sanderson, a free, New Bedford-educated black man who was active in the abolitionist movement in the Northeast, moved to California during the Gold Rush era and became one of the most influential spokesmen and educators in the state. He successfully petitioned to get public funding for "colored schools" in the 1850s-1870s in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Stockton, with black families from across the state sending their children to his school in Stockton. Sanderson was also a key organizer of state and district conventions during that time period that called for greater civil rights for blacks in California. He was a minister of the First A.M.E. Church in Oakland.
Chevalier de Saint-Georges was a champion fencer, classical composer, virtuoso violinist, and conductor of the leading symphony orchestra in Paris. Born in Guadeloupe, he was the son of George Bologne de Saint-Georges, a wealthy planter, and Nanon, his African slave. During the French Revolution, Saint-Georges was colonel of the Légion St.-Georges, the first all-black regiment in Europe, fighting on the side of the Republic. Today the Chevalier de Saint-Georges is best remembered as the first classical composer of African ancestry. [Wikipedia]
View of the main entrance of the Mount Olivet Baptist Church, a brick structure with staircases up to the doorway and a porch. The sign above the door reads "Mt. Olivet Baptist Church."
Dr. John Somerville, born in Jamaica was the first black graduate of USC School of Dentistry (1907). He married Vada Jetmore Watson (1912), who also became a dentist. He built the Somerville Hotel (1928), was instrumental in the founding of the Los Angeles chapter of NAACP (1914), and served on the Police Commission 1949-1953.
Map showing the locations of California Rancho land grants based on size and on the ethnic classification of the original, or early, recipient of the land grant. It indicates ranchos owned by people of African descent. This includes: Rancho Simi, (Javier, Patricio and Miguel Pico); Rancho San Fernando, (Juan Francisco Reyes); Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit, (Jose Bartolome Tapia); and Rancho Los Nietos, (José Manuel Nieto).
Grafton Tyler Brown was an African American who artist worked as a lithographer, cartographer and landscape painter capturing images of landscapes in the northwest United States, and British Columbia.
Delta Sigma Theta' Sorority, Inc. is an African American women’s’ Greek organization that was founded on January 13, 1913 at Howard University. Delta Sigma Theta (ΔΣΘ; sometimes abbreviated Deltas or DST) is a Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that target the African American community. Today, it is the largest African-American Greek-lettered organization.[4] Since its founding, Delta Sigma Theta has created programming to improve political, education, and social and economic conditions, particularly within black communities. In addition to establishing independent programming, the sorority consistently collaborates with community organizations and corporations to further its programming goals.
Street scene of West 35th Street, between Western Boulevard and Denker Avenue. Four dwellings, in a row, are in the Arts and Crafts/California Bungalow style. The first house is at 1678 W 35th. St.
Sargent Claude Johnson was one of the first African-American artists working in California to achieve a national reputation. He was known for Abstract Figurative and Early Modern styles. He was a painter, potter, ceramicist, printmaker, graphic artist, sculptor, and carver. He worked with a variety of media, including ceramics, clay, oil, stone, terra-cotta, watercolor, and wood. [Wikipedia]
Grafton Tyler Brown was an African American who artist worked as a lithographer, cartographer and landscape painter capturing images of landscapes in the northwest United States, and British Columbia.
Grafton Tyler Brown was an African American who artist worked as a lithographer, cartographer and landscape painter capturing images of landscapes in the northwest United States, and British Columbia.
Page 64 from a University of Southern California yearbook with graduation portraits of four students, top to bottom: Dalton Robert Smith, Verne James Smith, Vada Jetmore Somerville and Robert Burns. Stevenson.
The foundation for the Plaza Church was laid in 1814. It was formerly known as the church of Nuestra Senora Reina de Los Angeles (Our Lady, Queen of the Angels).
Illustrated in Selected Pieces from the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Co. Afro-American Art Collection by Francine Carter, In Black Art, an International Quarterly, Winter, 1976, p. 20.
Charlotta Bass was the publisher of the California Eagle newspaper from 1912 to 1951, and a civil rights activist. The California Eagle, covering Los Angeles' African-American community, was one of the oldest and longest running African American newspapers.
Private James Tribble served in the Colored Infantry, Company 6, 66th Regiment, during the Civil War. He enlisted on December 20, 1863 in Vicksburg, Mississippi and is listed as a farmer. He mustered out on March 20, 1865 in Natchez, Mississippi. He is honored on Plaque C-76 African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, DC. He died December 31, 1892 and is buried in the Union Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri.
William T. Shorey was a late 19th-century American whaling ship captain. He was born in Barbados July 13, 1859 and spent his life at sea. He became the only black captain operating on the west coast of the United States in the late-1880s and 1890s. He obtained his certification in 1885. His whaling voyages were based out of San Francisco. The John and Winthrop was the only whaling ship in the world to be manned entirely by an African-American crew. Shorey retired from whaling in 1908 (Wikipedia). A street in west Oakland, where Shorey lived, is named after him.
Canada Lee (born Lionel Cornelius Canegata) was a noted 20th century jockey, boxer, actor and civil rights activist. He was primarily a stage actor from the early 1930s to his death. His breakout film role was in 1941 where Lee played Bigger Thomas in the film Native Son to great critical and popular acclaim. His passionate devotion to equality was reflected in his theatrical and film roles.
Wiley Hinds was a wealthy California rancher and farmer in the area of Kaweah and Mineral King, in Tulare County. His daughter, Pearl, married Frederick Madison Roberts.
Group of seven children (11-15 years old) playing various musical instruments including saxophones, a piano, and a drum. More older children look in from a doorway. This is probably in the area of Central Avenue.
![Raymond Anderson [need more info.]](https://iiif.library.ucla.edu/iiif/2/ark%3A%2F21198%2Fz1q82x6s/full/!200,200/0/default.jpg)
