Category Archives: African Americans

Black L.A. 1947: Elizabeth Ingalls Convicted in San Diego Slavery Case; Jury Deadlocks on Husband’s Guilt

Posted on July 27, 2018 by lmharnisch

July 24, 1947: The Sentinel reports that Elizabeth Ingalls was convicted on charges of holding Dora Jones in slavery. Sentencing was set for July 29. The jury deadlocked on charges against her husband, Albert. The Sentinel said that Dora Jones … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Honor Student Vesta Belle Sapenter Strangled; Suspect Released

Posted on July 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

5320 Holmes Ave., in the Pueblo Del Rio housing project, via Google Street View.   July 24, 1947: The Sentinel reports that Benjamin Allen, 16, of 5217 McGarry St., is being held in the death of Vesta Belle Sapenter. Benjamin … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: The Story of Jimmie Lunceford’s Death

Posted on July 25, 2018 by lmharnisch

Mike’s Waikiki Inn, 3741 S. Western Ave. 3741 S. Western Ave., via Google Street View. July 24, 1947: The Sentinel publishes an account of the death of bandleader Jimmie Lunceford. According to the article by Wendell Green, at dinner before … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Film, Hollywood, Music | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Black L.A. 1947: No Room on Athletes Plane for UCLA Track Star Lloyd LaBeach

Posted on July 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

Berman’s has the new “Rugby Lounge” suit. Only $65 ($737.81 in 2018 dollars). July 24, 1947: L.A. Sentinel columnist Edward Robinson has the story of UCLA track star Lloyd LaBeach, born in Panama to Jamaican parents, who came to Los … Continue reading →

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July 24, 1947: Honor Student Vesta Belle Sapenter, 17, Strangled

Posted on July 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Her name was Vesta Belle and she was 17, an honor student at Jefferson High, a mile and a half from her home at 5320 Holmes … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Black L.A. 1947: Sanitarium Offered for Woman on Trial in Slavery Case With Restitution to Victim

Posted on July 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

July 17, 1947: Clinton M. Arnold, special correspondent for the Los Angeles Sentinel, files updates on the case of Elizabeth Ingalls, who was accused of holding Dora Jones in slavery. In one recent development, Ruth Castendyke, one of Ingalls’ daughters, … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: NAACP to Sue Inglewood for Barring Blacks From Swimming Pool

Posted on July 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

The 1938 exploitation film “The Wages of Sin” is being shown at the Flo-Mills Theater. July 17, 1947: The NAACP charges that the city of Inglewood bars African Americans from the pool at Centinela Park. At an employee picnic sponsored … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Bandleader Jimmie Lunceford Collapses in Record Store, Dies at 45

Posted on July 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

Suzette Johnson appears in “The Foxes of Harrow.” July 17, 1947: The Los Angeles Sentinel has a news story on the death of bandleader Jimmie Lunceford, who collapsed in a record store in Seaside, Ore., and a mention in Earl … Continue reading →

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Black L.A.: Lynchings Increase for 1946

Posted on July 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Jan. 9, 1947: The Sentinel reports on the rise in lynchings in 1946 in data compiled by the Tuskegee Institute. The institute said six African Americans were lynched in 1946, contrasted with one in 1945. “The offenses charged were stealing … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: No Black Writers Invited to Preview of ‘Black Narcissus’

Posted on July 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

July 10, 1947: Earl Griffin, the Sentinel’s Hollywood Spotlight columnist, writes of a press premiere of “Black Narcissus” at the Carthay Circle Theater and notes that “the Negro press has been conspicuous by their absence (not being invited).” Griffin salutes … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Columnists, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Black L.A. 1947: Sugar Chile Robinson and a Review of ‘Crossfire’

Posted on July 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Sugar Chile Robinson performs at the Lincoln. I should do an entire post on him, but so many stories and only one Larry Harnisch. July 3, 1947: One of the regular complaints in my Twitter feed is about the lack … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Jury Selection Begins in San Diego Slavery Case

Posted on June 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

Above, Cab Calloway is at the Million Dollar Theater with “Ding Dong Williams.”  June 26, 1947: Jury selection begins in San Diego in the case of Alfred and Elizabeth Ingalls, who are accused of holding Dora L. Jones as a … Continue reading →

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June 26, 1947: ‘White’ or ‘Negro?’ LAPD Holds Sentinel Columnist for Having Two Driver’s Licenses

Posted on June 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

June 26, 1947: Los Angeles Sentinel columnist Edward Robinson takes a trip to the University Station after LAPD officers discover that he is carrying two driver’s licenses. One identifies him as “white” and the other identifies him as “Negro.” With … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Columnists | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

June 22, 1947: 21,000 Sign Petition for Federal Anti-Lynching Law

Posted on June 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The son of slaves and a World War I veteran, Edgar G. Brown was a frequent visitor to Los Angeles gathering support for various issues, such … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: When Hollywood ‘Toned Down’ Black Actors

Posted on June 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Nina Mae McKinney, above, was “toned down” for MGM’s movie cameras in filming “Hallelujah,” Harry Levette said. June 19, 1947: Harry Levette, a longtime Sentinel columnist, sports editor and publicist, reflects on the Lafayette Players. The Lafayette Players was established … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Lottie Grady, Pioneering Black Actress in Theater and Film, Visits Los Angeles

Posted on June 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

“Dat Lovin’ Rag,” courtesy of the University of Colorado Boulder Music Library. June 19, 1947: Lottie Grady, one of the first African American actors to perform on Broadway, visits Los Angeles and is interviewed by the Sentinel. Grady performed on … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: ‘Why Negro Girls Stay Single’ by Pauli Murray

Posted on June 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

Update, March 28, 2023: Pauli Murray’s essay in Negro Digest is online at Archive.org. June 19, 1947: The Sentinel publishes a few paragraphs on Pauli Murray’s essay, which appeared in the July 1947 issue of “Negro Digest.” Murray’s essay is frequently … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Education | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Black L.A. 1947: The Sentinel’s Hotel Listings

Posted on June 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

The Golden West Manor Motel, 3700 S. Western, via Google Street View. June 12, 1947: The Western Motel, at 37th Street and South Western Avenue, advertised in the Sentinel that it was “clean, comfortable, modern” with “special accommodations for theatrical … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Ask Evangeline — In Love With a Married Man

Posted on June 13, 2018 by lmharnisch
Posted in 1947, African Americans | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Black L.A. 1947: The Case of Godwin ‘Buddy’ Bush, Who Escaped From a Lynch Mob

Posted on June 12, 2018 by lmharnisch

June 12, 1947: Juanita Washington Goodman’s columns were a weekly feature in the Sentinel. In this one, she’s writes about Godwin/Goodwin “Buddy” Bush, who escaped from a mob that had taken him from the Jackson, N.C., jail May 23, 1947. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments