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african american history month

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Portrait of Thurgood Marshall

“You do what you think is right and let the law catch up”—Thurgood Marshall


Scott Joplin
Alan Westby, February 21, 2017

2017 marks the hundredth anniversary of the death, at the age of 49, of Scott Joplin, one of America's first great composers, and the composer of arguably the first important American opera: Treemonisha.


The University of California at Los Angeles after trailing California at Berkeley through the first quarter, finally came into its own at the Memorial Coliseum. In this photo, Kenny Washington, brilliant Bruin halfback, is away to a smashing gain as his teammate, Woody Strode, effectively blocks out the California secondary defense. Dated November 4, 1939
Bob Timmermann, February 03, 2017

In 1995, after playing in Southern California for nearly 50 years, the Los Angeles Rams left the West Coast for the Midwest, to become the St. Louis Rams. They would stay there for 21 years, winning one Super Bowl title and losing in a second, before coming back to the Southland last year.


In 1966, Yvonne Brathwaite Burke became the first African American woman elected to the California Assembly, and in 1972, was the first woman elected to the House.
Christina Rice, January 30, 2017

The 1960s were a transformative period for the country with Civil Rights at the forefront. African Americans gained traction in political positions both at the state and local level, and Los Angeles was no exception. Fortunately, Rolland Curtis was around to document many of these leaders.


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Christina Rice, February 01, 2017

On January 25, 2017, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to give its final approval to the city’s bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.


Slave Premiums table
Julie Huffman, February 24, 2016

Insurance companies have long provided policies to cover losses of property but, before the end of the Civil War, this also included pay-outs for injury and death of the formerly enslaved.


Maya Angelou and Tupac Shakur
Christa Deitrick, February 22, 2016

Among the many treasures in the Literature & Fiction department is our poetry collection, which clocks in at around 20,000 titles. Since February is African-American Heritage Month, what better time to spotlight a few of these fabulous poets?


Sanborn Fire Insurance Atlas, Sheet 469, 1950.
Glen Creason, February 02, 2016

As a salute to African American Heritage Month we present a brief glance at the epicenter of Central Avenue in the once glamorous and glorious Dunbar Hotel.


3 Negro Motorist Green Books
Kelly Wallace, February 27, 2015

As African American Heritage Month draws to a close, I would like to bring your attention to a largely unknown chapter of American history.


Map of the USA
Glen Creason, February 03, 2015

To commemorate African American Heritage Month, Central Library offers two maps that exemplify the struggles and triumphs of African-Americans in this country. The first is “Americans of Negro Lineage” by the great Louise E.


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