How can a 92-year old museum best showcase a community’s history that is still uncollected?
Celebrate San Diego: Black History & Heritage is a new project of the San Diego History Center. More than an exhibition with a limited life span, this initiative is multi-layered and has life in the physical, the digital, as well as the SDHC permanent collection to be shared and studied for generations to come. Check back here on our website and through our social media channels – starting February 2021 – to experience (and contribute) to this shared journey.
Here is what we know:
Celebrate represents ongoing collaboration and partnerships that occur in real life and through digital portals.
Celebrate is an unfolding exhibition that’s not complete without on-going community crowd-sourced insights, information and items.
Like the community itself, Celebrate is dynamic and ever-evolving.
Do you have an artifact to donate?
How else can you contribute to this effort today? Nominate a local Hero.
Nominate a Black hero that has been a pioneer, visionary, champion, leader or inspirational to you in the San Diego region.
Donations for this upcoming exhibit can be made here
How can you contribute to this effort today?
You can tell us! A 24-foot wide historical timeline will be a key feature of the exhibition. Submit an event, milestone, or memory that should be included in the history of Black San Diego and Black San Diegans.
Submit your additions to our timeline of San Diego Black History
LOCAL HEROES
George Walker Smith
In 1963, George Walker Smith became the first Black elected to office in San Diego County, serving on the San Diego Unified School Board of Education for 16 years (and was elected its president four times).
Dr. Suzanne Afflalo
Dr. Suzanne Afflalo leads tactics that take health testing opportunities into the community – such as at health fairs and at retail locations throughout the community.
Sylura Barron
A local legend of politics and lifelong advocate for representation, connection, and participation, Barron faced seemingly insurmountable barriers of racism and sexism.
Dr. Harold K. Brown
Harold’s background includes being a school teacher, a banker, and the deputy director of the U.S. Peace Corps in Lesotho, Africa. He returned to San Diego State University in 1971 to accept the position as assistant to the SDSU President and established the Afro-American Studies program.
Clara Carter
A native of San Diego, Clara Carter is a visionary community leader and hospitality professional, with over 20 years of experience in strategic meeting and event management.
Judge Earl Gilliam
His high standing in the city’s predominantly black community known as Southeast San Diego and his connections in the Democratic Party undoubtedly helped Gilliam to become the first African American judge in San Diego County when Gov. Edmund G. Brown named him to fill a vacancy on the San Diego Municipal Court in 1963.
Dr. Rodney Hood
Dr. Rodney Hood serves as CEO and Managing Partner at Care View Medical Group in Southeast San Diego, which he co-founded in 1980. A speaker who has lectured extensively…
Verna King
Verna’s friends and family recall her capacity for making people feel welcomed, valued, and appreciated. Politicians, educators, community activists, and family members alike talk about Verna’s flair for entertaining and sharing stories.
Rev. Dr. Shadrach Meshach Lockridge
Shadrach Meshach Lockridge was born 1913 in Robertson County, Texas, and was the oldest of eight children. Attending schools in and around Waco, Texas.
Theophilus “Theo” Logan
Born 1917 in Lima, Oklahoma, Theophilus Alonzo Logan’s love for San Diego began in his youth when he formed fond memories of the city while visiting his grandparents in the 1920s.
Cecil Lytle
Professor Lytle is a virtuoso whose repertoire includes all genres of piano, and whose passion for music, for education and for excellence inspires those qualities in others.
Dr. Tristaca McCray
Dr. Tristaca McCray is the Founder and President of NERDS RULE INC., a multi-award winning leading humanitarian organization giving communities, schools, partners a healthy start to learn and become effective leaders.
Dr. Annjennette Sophie McFarlin
Annjennette is the first recognized scholar and book author of orator Hallie Quinn Brown, an African American activist from the late 1800’s. She taught at several educational institutions before returning to San Diego.
Bishop McKinney
Throughout Bishop McKinney’s life he has been committed to going above and beyond to help and to serve those in need, in his community and across the globe.
Charles McPherson
Charles McPherson, an alto saxophone jazz musician and longtime San Diego resident, for decades has gifted the world with his music. Charles’ playing provided the soundtrack for the Clint Eastwood film – a biopic about Charlie Parker.
Willie Lee Morrow
Hairstylist, chemist, Inventor, entrepreneur, author, husband and father are just some of the words used to describe Willie Lee Morrow, who worked to support San Diego’s African American community.
Pamela Gray Payton
Pamela was dedicated to elevating and advancing urban leadership to create meaningful community change, and accelerating the achievement of equal status for all genders in the workplace.
Bertha Pendleton
She was the first female and the first African American selected as the Superintendent of the SDUSD.
Lady Shaunté
Lady Shaunte’ was one of the trailblazers in gospel music in San Diego for almost 10 years. She was the midday radio announcer on San Diego’s 1040 AM KURS “The Soul Of San Diego”.
Lynne Ray Smith
So many people spend their time doing activities that only benefit them and their loved ones, Lynne Ray spends his time working to the betterment of society and the community.
John Henry Turpin
John Henry Turpin, survived two naval shipboard explosions yet rescued stunned, hurt, and dying shipmates, one after another, from the waters of San Diego Bay.
Dr. John Warren
He is the publisher of the 62-year-old San Diego Voice & Viewpoint, which is among the oldest African American newspapers in the country. Dr. Warren’s career spans education, politics, journalism and philanthropy.
Leon Williams
Leon Williams is the epitome of a Community Hero. As a lifelong civic leader, he has a string of “firsts” that are staggering. The first Black person elected to the San Diego City Council…
More heroes coming soon!
Add your nomination today!
San Diego Timeline
SPANISH COLONIAL CENSUS
This census listed the men, women, boys, and girls of the Presidio de San Diego district. Separate listings were made for each of the missions and the Presidio itself; the numbers are also identified either as “Indian” or Spanish, and other castes.”
DON PÍO PICO SETTLES IN SAN DIEGO IN THE 1820S, BEFORE BECOMING THE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA
Pico’s governorship was California’s last under Mexican rule. His family is known to have Spanish, Indian, and African ancestry.
ALLEN LIGHT, AN AFRICAN AMERICAN MARINER, SETTLES IN SAN DIEGO AND BECOMES A NATURALIZED MEXICAN CITIZEN
Mariner Allen Light carried sailor protection papers dating from 1827 to maintain his status as a “freeman and citizen of the United States of America.” These papers were discovered in the walls of the Machado Chapel in Old Town in 1948.
AMERICA NEWTON MIGRATES TO THE JULIAN AREA
America Newton was a formerly enslaved person who arrived from Missouri. In Julian, she made her living as a laundress for local miners.
THE HOTEL ROBINSON IN JULIAN WAS BUILT
Albert Robinson, a formerly enslaved person from Missouri and his wife, Margaret, owned and operated the Hotel Robinson in Julian, from 1887 until Albert’s death in 1915. Margaret Robinson continued ownership until 1921.
Pictured above: Robinson Hotel c. 1910
BETHEL AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL (AME) CHURCH IS FOUNDED. IT BECOMES THE FIRST ORGANIZED BLACK RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION IN SAN DIEGO
Solomon and Cordelia Johnson were instrumental in the formation of the first Black church in San Diego, the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. The membership of the church met in the Johnson home on the corner of F and Union Streets until funds were raised to secure a church site.
Pictured Above: Solomon Johnson c. 1920, Cordelia Johnson c. 1887
BLACK PIONEER STUDIO PORTRAITS
These images are likely the only known surviving historical record of these San Diegans and their time here. These studio portraits were taken between 1891and 1893 at Turner’s Elite Studio and Klimdt’s Chicago Art Gallery, both located on Fifth Avenue in downtown San Diego.
Pictured Above From Left to Right: Woman with parasol, nd, Man with derby hat, nd, Woman with dress, nd
EDWARD W. ANDERSON ESTABLISHES IXL LAUNDRY
Edward W. Anderson arrived in San Diego in the mid-1890s from Kentucky before beginning his successful laundry business in 1897 at age 25. As owner of IXL Laundry, he managed the largest steam laundry in the region with 35 employees. The original location was at 546 Seventh Avenue, but later the business moved to 10th Avenue and Island Avenue.
Pictured Above: IXL Laundry, 1897
ANDERSON V FISHER, 1897 IS THE FIRST RACIAL DISCRIMINATION CASE OF ITS KIND IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In 1897, Edward W. Anderson, a prominent entrepreneur and political organizer, and his wife, Mary, were refused seats for a performance at the Fisher Opera House. When they were denied their chosen seats near the orchestra, theater manager John C. Fisher explained, “I do not allow colored people on that floor.” Anderson filed a lawsuit for $299 in damages, and was awarded $150. The judgement was reversed by a higher court on Fisher’s appeal and Anderson was ordered to pay Fisher $9.25 in damages. Even though Anderson’s legal action was ultimately unsuccessful, his challenge set a legal precedent.
Pictured Above: Fisher Opera House, 1902
ACME SOCIAL CLUB IS STARTED
Acme was one of several elite social and political clubs in San Diego, established around the turn of the 20th century when Black San Diegans began to own more businesses and to make inroads into the economic mainstream.
Pictured Above: 17th birthday celebration of Acme member Gathern P. Perry, c. 1917
HENRIETTA GOODWIN IS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN GRAUDATE FROM THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL OF SAN DIEGO, NOW SDSU
Henrietta (seated on right) was a graduate at the State Normal School of San Diego (now SDSU). The San Diego Union failed to mention her in its list of the 15 graduates, nor did the school list heron its roster of graduates. However, both an attendance ledger and her registration record card indicate that she did in fact graduate on January 30, 1913, having attended the school sporadically since 1908. Her younger sister, Lela (standing, second from right), preceded Henrietta as a registered student in 1907, but she dropped out after taking just four classes. The Goodwin sisters worked occasionally as domestic servants to support their studies.
Pictured Above: Goodwin family, c 1902
THE FIRST BLACK AMERICAN FIREFIGHTERS JOIN THE SAN DIEGO FIRE DEPARTMENT
Pictured Above: Sandy Baker, Tim Williams, John Cross, and Joe Smith, early Black Firefighters in Logan Heights, c. 1927
THE HOTEL DOUGLAS IS BUILT IN SAN DIEGO’S GASLAMP QUARTER
Located at Second Avenue and Market Street, the Douglas Hotel and Creole Palace nightclub was the only place of quality lodging and entertainment for Blacks during a period of intense segregation. As the premier Black entertainment venue on the Pacific coast, the spacious ballroom and stage featured a risqué chorus line show and jazz, blues, and boogie-woogie performances. The hotel-nightclub hosted celebrities like boxer Joe Louis, musicians Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, and vocalists Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington.
Pictured Above: Creole performers at the Douglas Hotel, 1934
THE SAN DIEGO RACE RELATIONS SOCIETY IS FOUNDED BY DENNIS V. ALLEN
The San Diego Race Relations Society sought to end prejudice against racial, national, and religious groups. This group was instrumental in pushing for desegregation in public spaces, as well as in challenging the denial of jobs because of religion, race, or color. Dennis Allen served as president of the Race Relations Society and helped expand employment opportunities for San Diego’s Black community.
Pictured Above: Dennis V. Allen, 1945
THE LEMON GROVE CASE IS THE US’S FIRST SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL DESEGREGATION CASE
The incident occurred in 1930 and 1931 in Lemon Grove in San Diego’s East County, where the local school board attempted to build a separate school for children of Mexican heritage. On March 30, 1931, the Superior Court of San Diego ruled that the local school board’s attempt to segregate 75 Mexican and Mexican American elementary school children was a violation of California state laws because ethnic Mexicans were considered white under the state’s Education Code.
Pictured Above: Segregated Students from Lemon Grove Grammar School
DR. JACK JOHNSON KIMBROUGH ARRIVES IN SAN DIEGO AND BECOMES THE FIRST BLACK DENTIST IN THE AREA
When Dr. Kimbrough heard of the absence of African American dentists in San Diego, he hitchhiked to the city in 1935 and befriended the only Black physician in the area, A. Antonio DaCosta, who lent him office space in a rental unit. Dr. Kimbrough went on to become president of the San Diego NAACP in 1947 and the first president of the San Diego Urban League in 1953. Kimbrough accomplished much as an activist, including organizing a sit-in at the US Grant Grill in 1948 to protest segregation, and working to end racial prejudice.
Pictured Above: Dr. Jack Kimbrough, 1960
HOWARD “SKIPPY” SMITH OPENS PACIFIC PARACHUTE COMPANY
Howard “Skippy” Smith was an African American stunt pilot and entrepreneur. Smith opened his Pacific Parachute Company, which sewed and packed parachutes for the military, and earned the title of “Top Black Owned Business in the United States” in 1943 from Time magazine. Smith employed one of the few integrated workforces in San Diego, which included Filipinos, Asians, whites, Latinos, and Blacks.
Pictured Above: Howard “Skippy” Smith and his integrated workforce, 1943
JOHNNY RITCHEY IS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN BASEBALL PLAYER TO JOIN THE SAN DIEGO PADRES
Ritchey became “the Jackie Robinson of the West Coast” by breaking the Pacific Coast League’s color barrier in 1948 while playing for the Padres. His debut came just one year after Jackie Robinson broke the major league color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Ritchey played for the Padres as a catcher in 1948 and 1949.
Pictured Above, From left: Luke Easter, Artie Wilson, and Johnny Ritchey integrated the minor-league San Diego Padres, 1950
SAN DIEGO URBAN LEAGUE IS ESTABLISHED
It was the perseverance of Dr. Jack Kimbrough, among others, that was crucial in finally establishing a local Urban League branch in 1953. In many cities the local NAACP branch fought for civil rights, but in San Diego it was the Urban League that played the pivotal role after World War II in pushing for civil rights and full inclusion in the city’s burgeoning economy. The San Diego Urban League had an ability to unify competing interests, and work on behalf of communities of color. Among its successful programs was a vocational education program introduced to city schools in 1956. Another success was the Adopt-A-Child program, a charitable project that represented a collaborative effort between several social service agencies.
Pictured Above: First Annual Meeting of the San Diego Urban League, 1955
WOOLWORTH DEPARTMENT STORE CHAIN SEGREGATION PROTEST
The Greensboro sin-ins were an act of nonviolent protest against a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina that began on February 1, 1960. The protests led the Woolworth Department Store chain to end its policy of racial segregation in its stores.
Pictured Above: A man protests in front of Woolworth’s storefront in downtown San Diego, 1960
RACIAL EQUALITY SIT-IN AT SDG&E
Members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) stage a sit-in at SDG&E’s Sixth Avenue and E Street location to protest and change discriminatory hiring practices.
CORE PICKETS CREA
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) members protested the California Real Estate Association’s meeting outside the El Cortez Hotel in Downtown. CREA was meeting to determine whether or not it would support Proposition 14, the law which would negate the Fair Housing Act.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR GIVES A SPEECH AIN SAN DIEGO AT THE CALIFORNIA WESTERN UNIVERSITY
King was on a speaking tour of California cities, and addressed both California Western University (now Point Loma Nazarene University) and San Diego State College (now San Diego State University) on the same day. In his speech at Cal Western, King spoke out against California’s Proposition 14. This ballot measure, which would pass that November, in effect repealed the Rumford Fair Housing Act of 1963 and allowed individuals to practice discrimination when selling or renting property. King’s address gave national context to the issues of segregation and racism prevalent in San Diego and California.
Pictured Above: Martin Luther King Jr. addresses crowd at Cal Western University, May 29, 1964
STUDENT NON-VIOLENT COORDINATING COMMITTEE RALLY
San Diegans from the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) participated in a rally in Balboa Park after a 24-hour fast to memorialize James Reeb. Reeb was a white Unitarian Universalist minister and civil rights activists murdered by white segregationists in Selma, Alabama.
CARLIN V BOARD OF EDUCATION CASE
The San Diego Union School District (SDUSD) had received many complaints concerning the segregation of city schools since the early 1960s. Carlin et al v. Board of Education was a 1967 court case filed against SDUSD by a group of parents citing inequalities for students of all ethnic backgrounds.
Pictured Above: Ann Merrill speaks to the school board on behalf of a group that worked to desegregate San Diego schools, 1968
SAN DIEGO REACTS TO THE ASSASSINATION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
The day after Dr. King’s assassination, students from University of California, San Diego, rallied outside the City Council chambers. A memorial was held for Dr. King at the Balboa Bowl three days after his assassination. Over 5,000 people attended the service which was organized by the Southeast San Diego Ministerial Alliance. Religious leaders from Catholic, African American Methodist Episcopal, Jewish and other faith communities were present to honor King.
BLACK PANTHER PARTY FORMS IN SAN DIEGO
The Black Panthers were a Black power party formed in Oakland in 1966 and came to San Diego in 1968. They based their political philosophy and perspective on leftist and Marxist-oriented thinkers. Nationally, while the Panthers were known for brandishing firearms and confronting police in urban neighborhoods, the Party also had an ambitious social program. They started schools, supplied groceries to seniors, and operated a free breakfast program for children.
KU KLUX KLAN GROUPS RESURRECTED IN SAN DIEGO
From the 1920s on, San Diego had seen sporadic Ku Klux Klan activity. In San Diego and other southwestern cities, Klan activity was not just directed against African Americans, but toward Mexican Americans as well. Despite losing their charter in 1946, by the 1970s the Klan groups had seen a resurgence in San Diego and Oceanside.
