Tag Archives: African Americans

California Politics: Democratic Candidate for Governor Seeks to Bar Blacks

Posted on August 6, 2013 by lmharnisch

The entire Aug. 1, 1863, issue of the Los Angeles Star is available online via the California Digital Newspaper Collection.   Buckley shoots Francisco Cruz. Aug. 1, 1863: The Star publishes the campaign speech of former Gov. John G. Downey … Continue reading →

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Black Doctor in Divorce Case Says Wife Tried to ‘Masquerade’ as White

Posted on July 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 23, 1923: The centennial of the Monroe Doctrine is celebrated at Exposition Park in the American Historical Revue and Motion Picture Exposition.. The U.S. Mint in San Francisco issued commemorative half dollars for the occasion. The Times says: “One … Continue reading →

Posted in 1823, 1923, African Americans, Art & Artists, Broadway, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fires, Hill Street, Hollywood, Theaters | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Was Coleman Harris From ‘Gangster Squad’ a Real Person?

Posted on May 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

Josh Brolin, left, as Sgt. John O’Mara with Anthony Mackie as Officer Coleman Harris in “Gangster Squad.” Drinking in uniform in a nightclub while on duty? I don’t think so. Now that “Gangster Squad” is out on DVD and available … Continue reading →

Posted in 1949, African Americans, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

On Eve of Pearl Harbor Anniversary, Roosevelt Halts Enlistments

Posted on December 6, 2012 by lmharnisch

Dec. 6, 1942: As the nation nears the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt halts all enlistments in the armed forces, shifting the military entirely to the draft. The services also stopped taking men older than 38 and opened … Continue reading →

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Aug. 13, 1942: Times Visits African American Troops

Posted on August 15, 2012 by lmharnisch

Aug. 15, 1942: The good news: The Times writes about African American troops. The bad news: The story is one stereotype after another.

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Lana Turner Elopes!

Posted on July 18, 2012 by lmharnisch

July 18, 1942: Lana Turner elopes to Las Vegas with Stephen Crane in a marriage performed by the same judge who did her marriage to Artie Shaw in 1940. Turner is 22 and Crane is 27. It is the second … Continue reading →

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July 7, 1938

Posted on July 7, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, 6th and Hill streets via Google maps’ street view feature.  "Prison Farm" … now there’s a title that leaves nothing to the imagination. According to imdb, Horace McCoy was an uncredited writer on the picture. Not on Netflix! olling … Continue reading →

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June 24, 1958

Posted on June 24, 2008 by lmharnisch

  t left, a nine-room home in an all-white neighborhood is heavily vandalized after being sold to an African American doctor and his family. The Times says vandals caused $15,000 ($109,315.53 USD 2007) damage to the newly redecorated home at … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Countdown to Watts, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

June 23, 1908

Posted on June 23, 2008 by lmharnisch
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May 29, 1938

Posted on May 29, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, what Los Angeles was reading in 1938–and a shoutout to the Zombie Reading Program over at This Book Is for You…. "When there’s no more room in closed stacks, the out-of-print will rise up and walk the earth." At … Continue reading →

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May 13, 1958

Posted on May 13, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, President Eisenhower tells African Americans to be patient about gaining civil rights … Below, Dr. Lawrence Michael Dillon, formerly Dr. Laura Maude Dillon, who was apparently the world’s first trangendered man, is interviewed in Philadelphia. In 1945, Dillon began … Continue reading →

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Former slave speaks

Posted on April 1, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, Aunt Lucy Chiviss. If you look closely, you’ll notice this page says "Wednesday" and "Sunday" and the caption type is pied. Someone was certainly having a bad day. Below, the story of Lucy Chiviss. Yes, I know slave narratives … Continue reading →

Posted in Countdown to Watts, Front Pages | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

March 23, 1908

Posted on March 23, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, an exhausted mother kills herself … Below,  Bishop Conaty dedicates St. Patrick’s Church at Central Avenue and 34th Street. According to the church’s website, the Long Beach earthquake heavily damaged the building, which was eventually destroyed in the Sylmar … Continue reading →

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March 21, 1908

Posted on March 21, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, baseball and ostriches. Below, the Rev. G.W. Woodbey, an African American minister described in The Times as a rabid radical, is convicted of speaking on a street corner without a license. Woodbey sounds like an interesting fellow and he … Continue reading →

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March 19, 1908

Posted on March 19, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, development spreads across Southern California. And of course, once people move to Chino they will need some sort of transportation … Below, a clever fraud by a clever, affable insurance man who fakes a death … At an African … Continue reading →

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March 7, 1908

Posted on March 7, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, an African American church is planted at 37th Street and Denker, The Times says.  According to the church’s website, Westminster Presbyterian was built at 35th Place and Denker. Below, The Times reports on Los Angeles County’s plans for a … Continue reading →

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Feb. 23, 1908

Posted on February 22, 2008 by lmharnisch
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Paul Coates

Posted on January 29, 2008 by lmharnisch

Jan. 29, 1958 The Kingfish and I got a pretty fair raking over the coals a few days ago. And, somehow, I’m not quite sure that we deserved it. The man who did the raking is a colleague of mine–a … Continue reading →

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Black elite

Posted on January 27, 2008 by lmharnisch

April 16, 1972 Los Angeles I have been meaning to post this story for months and finally decided today was the day. It’s a long story (jumping four times!) but an interesting read. Enjoy!   Email me

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Jan. 20, 1908

Posted on January 20, 2008 by lmharnisch

  More than 200 African Americans gather at First Methodist Church to protest the vandalism of a house on East 33rd Street that was rented to a black family (above, the original Jan. 16, 1908, story) …  A man on … Continue reading →

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