Category Archives: African Americans

John Wayne Gacy Victim May Be Exhumed

Posted on September 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The last Crown Vic rolls off the Ford assembly line. Leslie Luebbers,the director of the Art Museum at the University of Memphis and head of the Paul Revere William Project will give a lecture on the famed African American … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Architecture, Art & Artists, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Music, Preservation, Transportation | Tagged #Crown Victoria, #John Wayne Gacy, #Paul Revere Williams | Comments Off

Smithsonian Plans Exhibit on Paradox of Jefferson and Slavery

Posted on August 31, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: “New Native Photography”; “Shiprock Fair, 2009.” Credit: Jinniibaah Manuelito Jacqueline Trescott of the Washington Post writes that the Smithsonian Institution and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello are collaborating on a new exhibit about Jefferson and slavery. “Jefferson and … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Books and Authors, History, Medicine, Museums, Native Americans, Photography | Tagged #history, #photography, #slavery, books, Museums | Comments Off

Rosa Parks Archives Off-Limits to Scholars

Posted on August 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The Rosa Parks archive. Credit: Guernsey’s Auctioneers. Julian Bond and Jeanne Theoharis have a piece in the Washington Post’s opinion pages tracing the troubled history of Rosa Parks’ archives. Parks’ papers and other items have been caught in … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, History, Libraries | Tagged #African Americans, #Civil Rights, #libraries, #Rosa Parks | 1 Comment

Scarlett’s Costumes Nearly ‘Gone With the Wind’

Posted on August 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Crane bathroom fixtures. Credit: Life magazine, April 29, 1957. We grew up in a sterile, cookie-cutter home, on a sterile, cookie-cutter street, in a sterile suburb of Chicago, where all the people were white and all the bathrooms … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, African Americans, Architecture, Fashion, Film, Futurism, Hollywood, Interior Design, Preservation, Transportation | Tagged #film, #GWTW, #hipster irony, #hollywood | 9 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Coming Up

Posted on August 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: A “zute” suit cartoon from the California Eagle, Aug. 21, 1941. In case you’re wondering, I tracked down the Navy’s 1943 report on the Zoot Suit Riots but I can’t get out to the National Archives in Riverside until … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, 1943, African Americans, Art & Artists, Comics, Fashion, Zoot Suit | Tagged #African Americans, #zoot suits | Comments Off

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on August 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

Jan. 30, 1937: Leroy Broomfield and Aurora Greeley perform at the Ubangi Club. [Update: This is Aurora Greeley, and if you have never heard of her, you have lots of company.] Here’s a Witzel photo that truly is a … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Dance, Mystery Photo, Nightclubs, Obituaries, Photography, Witzel | Tagged #African Americans, #dance, #mystery photo, #nightclubs, #photography | 12 Comments

#art, #history, #museums, #World War II 8|4|2011

Posted on August 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Retired Lt. Col. Leo R. Gray with “The Spirit of Tuskegee.” Credit: Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post Jacqueline Trescott of the Washington Post writes about “The Spirit of Tuskegee,” a Stearman trainer that has been acquired by the … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Art & Artists, History, Museums, World War II | Tagged #history, #World War II, art, Museums | Comments Off

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 6

Posted on August 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Los Angeles Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats Program for “Zoot Suit” Credit: Jose Legaspi In Part 5, we looked at the story of Joe Dacy Coleman, “patient zero” in the Zoot Suit Riots, which led to a report at the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, African Americans, Black Dahlia, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Libraries, Stage, Streetcars, Zoot Suit | Tagged #1943, #LAPD, #zoot suits | 4 Comments

7|9|2011, #history, #museum

Posted on July 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

NEWSLauren Viera, writing in the Chicago Tribune, says that the Art Institute of Chicago is quietly conducting a search for a director to replace James Cuno, who has become president and chief executive of the J. Paul Getty Trust.Sidebar: Help … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Architecture, Chicago, History, Museums, New York, Philadelphia, Washington | Tagged #chicago, #history, #la, #museum, #New York, architecture | 1 Comment

The FBI Thins Its Files

Posted on July 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

I had the strangest experience Saturday when I was going through Ernest Hemingway’s FBI file. I was sure the buro had posted Louis Armstrong’s dossier — it’s brief and not terribly interesting except for the fact that it exists. Or … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, History, Homicide, LAPD, Libraries | Tagged #FBI, 1947, archives, black dahlia, cold cases, lapd | Comments Off

#history

Posted on June 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

A summary of history-related posts on the Web: Chicago Tribune The Trib has an item on the Children’s Museum remaining at Navy Pier rather than moving to Grant Park as the facility is transferred to private management. Here’s the Trib’s … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Baseball, Chicago, Film, History, Hollywood, Museums, Music, Native Americans, Photography, Sports | Tagged #Chicago Tribune, #history, #New York Times | Comments Off

New York Honors Pioneering Black Police Officer

Posted on June 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

The New York Times has a great feature about Samuel J. Battle on the centennial of him becoming the first African American appointed to the New York Police Department. Excerpts from an interview given in 1960 for Columbia’s oral history … Continue reading →

Posted in 1911, African Americans, Crime and Courts | Comments Off

Pioneering African American Attorney Walter L. Gordon Jr. Honored

Posted on June 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

Walter L. Gordon Jr., left, and Judge William C. Beverly Jr. This week, the UCLA library honored the 103rd birthday Walter L. Gordon Jr., one of the pioneering African American attorneys in Los Angeles. Judge William C. Beverly Jr. was … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Architecture, Crime and Courts, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Libraries, Museums, Nightclubs, Photography | Tagged #1940s, #courts, #gays and lesbians, #libraries, #nightclubs, #photography, architecture | Comments Off

Strange Fruit

Posted on February 1, 2007 by lmharnisch

Feb. 1, 1907Los Angeles I was all set to write about Leroyxez, “The Human Pincushion,” being nailed to a cross promptly at 4 p.m. at Chutes Park, and then a story about lynching in the U.S. caught my eye. Year … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off

The Changing Face of the City

Posted on January 17, 2007 by lmharnisch

Jan. 17, 1907Los Angeles On a trip from Utah to visit his daughter, H.E. Gibson keeps getting lost as he wanders around Los Angeles. No, it’s not because Gibson is 80, for his mind is still sharp. It’s because he … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, Real Estate, Streetcars | Comments Off

A Gruesome First

Posted on December 27, 2006 by lmharnisch

Dec. 27, 1907 Henryetta, Okla., by the Associated Press A little more than a month after Oklahoma achieved statehood, James Garden became a wretched statistic: the first black to be lynched there. On Dec. 24, Garden went to see liveryman … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Religion, Streetcars | Comments Off

An Artist Makes His Point

Posted on October 18, 2006 by lmharnisch

Oct. 18, 1907 Los Angeles For the last month, the pages of The Times have been peppered with pen-and-ink cartoons signed Gale—in fact some of them have already appeared in the blog, with Nathan’s post on Japanese hobos and mine … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Columnists, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged Harry Carr | 1 Comment

Unsportsmanlike Conduct

Posted on October 17, 2006 by lmharnisch

Oct. 17, 1907Los AngelesMr. Woolin, left tackle of the USC team, took great exception to be tackled by one of the black players on the Whittier State team (one of Whittier’s five black players) and voiced his displeasure, emphasizing his … Continue reading →

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The Curious Dreamer

Posted on October 5, 2006 by lmharnisch

Oct. 5, 1907Los AngelesHilliard Stricklin is a man with an urgent desire to do something for his fellow African Americans. He says that he came to Los Angeles from Chattanooga, Tenn., about 1895 with a few dollars in his pocket, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off

History Deals a Deadly Hand

Posted on May 12, 2006 by lmharnisch

May 12, 1907 We’ve been having fun all week with the Shriners, parading around in their costumes, engaging in peculiar rites and pondering silly questions like “What Makes the Wildcat Wild?” Then in a moment, a train wreck at Honda … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, Streetcars | 1 Comment