Racism and Huntington Beach, CA as possible 'Sundown Town" (border, Hispanics)

[tonk]

Hi- I have to ask to ask for help with a project I'm working on for a class. I read this book called Sundown Towns, A Hidden Dimension of American Racism by James W. Loewen. He also has a website for continued and expanded research.
http://www.uvm.edu/~jloewen/sundowntowns.php
Since I was born in Huntington Beach, CA, I chose HB for my paper as a possible sundown town, although now I'm going to school in Georgia. "A sundown town is any organized jurisdiction that for decades kept African Americans or other groups from living in it and was thus all-white on purpose." I think it also gets that name from the fact that signs were posted to keep African Americans out, especially after dark. One such sign on the cover of the book reads, "Whites Only Within City Limits After Dark." The time frame can be from the 1900s or earlier on up. Can anyone help with information such as books or articles to read or stories about African Aamericans being kept out or kicked out violently or in more subtle ways as it pertains to the city of Huntington Beach, in Orange County California. Or anything about segregation, signs to keep African Americans out, pictures, etc. I'm only 21 and it's disturbing to read how people treated each other just because of color. Thanks much. Matt

[southernnaturelover]

What about the towns where white people can't go after sundown? They don't count?

[tonk]

Hi- It's a project for a class and I could only choose one town for the topic of this book. I understand that racism works both ways though. I've experienced it.

[Innovator831021]

I have never even heard of the place... go to the California forums.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by southernnaturelover

What about the towns where white people can't go after sundown? They don't count?

No. They dont count. Stop acting like the 'suffering' of whites due to racism by blacks even approaches to any degree the hate blacks have endured in this country.

[reconmark]

Originally Posted by southernnaturelover

What about the towns where white people can't go after sundown? They don't count?

Could you please stay on point for at least 20 seconds.
She needs info for a school project, not your rantings.
Whites will not venture into some black area due to perceived and/or real danger.
NO black goverment body has EVER passed statutes barring whites from ANY city, town, etc.
No white person was hung,beaten,burned and castrated while black sheriff's and policemen looked on and did nothing.
We all know there is racism on both sides but that dosen't justify you continually highjacking threads because they show the side of racism you want to ignore.

[Sprinter]

Originally Posted by tonk

Hi- I have to ask to ask for help with a project I'm working on for a class. I read this book called Sundown Towns, A Hidden Dimension of American Racism by James W. Loewen. He also has a website for continued and expanded research.
http://www.uvm.edu/~jloewen/sundowntowns.php
Since I was born in Huntington Beach, CA, I chose HB for my paper as a possible sundown town, although now I'm going to school in Georgia. "A sundown town is any organized jurisdiction that for decades kept African Americans or other groups from living in it and was thus all-white on purpose." I think it also gets that name from the fact that signs were posted to keep African Americans out, especially after dark. One such sign on the cover of the book reads, "Whites Only Within City Limits After Dark." The time frame can be from the 1900s or earlier on up. Can anyone help with information such as books or articles to read or stories about African Aamericans being kept out or kicked out violently or in more subtle ways as it pertains to the city of Huntington Beach, in Orange County California. Or anything about segregation, signs to keep African Americans out, pictures, etc. I'm only 21 and it's disturbing to read how people treated each other just because of color. Thanks much. Matt

I'm a black person who was born and raised in Orange County CA I spent most of the summers durring the 1970's in H.B. I lived in H.B. in 1985-86 on Main st. near the pier and had many friends who let me crash at their places all over H.B. (1982-85) Not to mention the fact that I lived in Costa Mesa with in walking distance of Huntington Beach from 1990 to 2007, during that time my wife(who happens to be white) and I spent many evenings eating dinner at main st. restaurants then going for long walks along the coast and I have never not even once been a victim of racism in Huntington Beach.

[the one]

you might want to consider lookin into if HB had covenants written that stated when white people bought a house they would not sell it to black people later on. this was popular in the era preceeding white flight. places like south gate, lynwood and inglewood had covenants prohibiting the sale of housing to blacks. this language can still be found in contracts when a house is re sold, tho the covenants are now unenforceable.

also many sun down towns were de facto racist. it might not have been written in law or contracts, but it was just known.

im not too sure of orange county, but this was definintely the case in LA. La west of aleameda was black and the color line was very strictly enforced. cities like huntinton park and south gate and lynwood shared a border with the area of LA which came to be known as south central/watts.

again im not sure about OC, but LA has a very detailed history on this type of stuff.

[tonk]

Thanks- I never thought race was an issue in HB either, but on the author's webite, he had HB listed as a "probable" sundown town. Most " sundown towns" are no longer that way...or at least it seems that way to me. They mainly appeared sometime in the 1920s and after WWII. The book says that the eastern europeans, the irish, the native americans, the hispanics, the chinese, etc, were all discriminated against at some time, but then for some unknown reason, it was more difficult to rid the US of discrimination against african americans. After reading the book, the governement seems to be the blame as they did not act to stop it in it's tracks. Thankfully people - most people- are more intelligent now.