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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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).
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.
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]
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]
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.
