Category Archives: African Americans

U.S. Urged to Evacuate Japanese Immediately

Posted on January 31, 2012 by lmharnisch

Jan. 31, 1942: Members of Congress from the West Coast call on the U.S. to expedite the evacuation of “enemy aliens,” a term that includes native-born people of Japanese ancestry. Officials concede that some of them may be loyal – … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, African Americans, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Freeways, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Politics, Richard Nixon, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on U.S. Urged to Evacuate Japanese Immediately

Navy Releases Accounts of Pearl Harbor

Posted on December 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Dec. 22, 1941: The Navy releases three personal accounts of the Pearl Harbor attack. Many acts of heroism are described, and these few lines shed more light on the presence of African Americans (recall that the armed services were segregated … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, African Americans, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Navy Releases Accounts of Pearl Harbor

A Look at Paul Revere Williams

Posted on November 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: “Paul Revere Williams: A Legend in Architecture.” Credit: Dave Kelly My Times colleague Scott Harrison digs up some archival photos from the construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Chris Carola of the Associated Press takes a look at the … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Architecture, Crime and Courts, Museums | Tagged | 1 Comment

An EBay Lesson – Part 2

Posted on October 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: A happy couple in the Zanzibar Room of the Florentine Gardens, Sept. 6, 1944. In case you’re wondering, I contacted the vendor of the bogus EBay picture I recently acquired. He said he got it from an estate in … Continue reading →

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‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 14

Posted on October 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Cover letter on the June 22, 1943, report on the Zoot Suit Riots. Credit: National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, African Americans, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Theaters, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 13

Posted on October 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

May 4, 1995: Portions of the June 10, 1943, report on the Zoot Suit Riots have been redacted and placed in a parallel file. This is due to privacy concerns because the individuals may still be alive, an archivist explained. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, African Americans, Fashion, Film, LAPD, Latinos, Stage, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

‘Art Along the Hyphen’ Opens at the Autry

Posted on October 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Latinas in the New World, a new online exhibit.   Dahleen Glanton, writing in the Chicago Tribune, uses the death of the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth to examine the idea that teaching about the American civil rights movement has been … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Art & Artists, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Latinos, Museums | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Calle de los Negros – A Vanished Landmark

Posted on October 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: 1946 Thomas Bros. Guide showing “Negro Al” The recent controversy over the name of a hunting camp used by Texas Gov. Rick Perry and his family sent me to the Daily Mirror archives for a 1946 Thomas Bros. Guide, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1871, African Americans, Chinese Massacre, Downtown | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 10

Posted on September 28, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Racial incidents between servicemen and African Americans in San Diego.   Credit: The National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, 1943, African Americans, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Libraries, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 10

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 9

Posted on September 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Isadore Bernstein’s name appears on a list of  undesirables.  Credit: The National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer in the Last … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, 1943, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Fashion, Film, History, Hollywood, Latinos, Libraries, Stage, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 9

Shofar Flash Mob!

Posted on September 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: The Volute Krater, which is being  returned to Italy. Credit: Minneapolis Institute of Arts Adam Nagourney of the New York Times explores the different philosophies of treating history at the Reagan and Nixon presidential libraries. But another exhibition that … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Baseball, Crime and Courts, Libraries, Museums, Religion | Tagged | Comments Off on Shofar Flash Mob!

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 , , | Comments Off on John Wayne Gacy Victim May Be Exhumed

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 , , , , | Comments Off on Smithsonian Plans Exhibit on Paradox of Jefferson and Slavery

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 , , , | 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 , , , | 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 →

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

‘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 , , | 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 , , , , , | 1 Comment