Whatever you think you know about San Diego’s Black history, he says there’s more – San Diego Union-Tribune

Yvette Porter Moore started with her own history. When he was 18, he began researching biological parents and their families. Later, her stepmother, who raised her, asked Porter Moore to help research genealogy for her memoirs (which led to information about a grandmother who was the seamstress of famous opera singer Marian Anderson and a great-aunt who played Olivia “Mother Jefferson” Jefferson ). on the television show “The Jeffersons”).

“Genealogy was very important to me during this process. And I honor my ancestors. History is something that we have to uncover, to explore, because I’ve always been interested in San Diego Black history because I grew up and grew up around people who have always done good in our community – lawyers, doctors, activists. educators,” he says. “But I haven’t seen much about what we’re doing in the media, in articles, things like that, or even in books. “So I thought, ‘I’ve got to do something about this.'”

Porter Moore is a genealogist and public historian who runs it. Root Digger Genealogy Research ServicesShe specializes in African American ancestry and adoption and birth family studies. He has focused on such studies for the past 20 years, attending classes at the Midwest African American Genealogy Institute, learning about Black history, genealogy and DNA research. will talk about “Preserving Black History in San Diego” Monday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Shiley Special Event Suite at the Central Library in downtown San Diego. Porter Moore, who grew up in San Diego and whose father was an educator Walter J. Porter (Porter Elementary School in Lincoln Park is named after him) took some time to talk about a few people and events that stand out in local Black history and why it’s important for him to continue documenting them. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

Q: When I think about Black history in San Diego, names that come to mind include: Nathan Harrison, Willie MorrowAnd California Secretary of State Shirley Weber. Can you mention a few people from San Diego’s Black community who made/still make history?

A: There are so many things worth mentioning; but when I think about Black history in San Diego, I am always reminded of our culture and heritage. I think about those who came before us, those who contributed to the growth of San Diego. These people have paved the way for us to walk and provided the shoulders to stand on. I think he often appears among a few of our recently deceased leaders: Reverend George Walker SmithHe was the first black person elected to the San Diego board of education and was also the founder of the Catfish Club. Then, there is Leon Williams102 years old; He became the first Black person elected to the city council and county board of supervisors. Sylura Barron She was the first Black woman to be a delegate to the national political convention, representing California for the Democratic Party’s nomination of Harry Truman for president. robert matthews Martin Luther King Jr. in association with the Zeta Sigma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He co-founded Parade.

When I think of our history, I think of people and organizations that are now the guardians of culture, whose main purpose is to save, preserve and promote our history and culture. This includes: Dajahn Blevins(San Diego) Founder of Urban Warriors and Kuumba Fest; Gaidi FinnieCEO of the San Diego Museum of African American Fine Arts and heiress of Shirley Day Wiliams, who founded Culture Keepers, a program honoring cultural icons; Francine DeWitt-HaynesPresident of Common Ground Theatre, the third-oldest Black theater in the United States (founded by his father, the late Rufus DeWitt, and the late Dr. Robert Matthews); Robert Fikes Jr.a retired San Diego State University librarian who has assisted many people with their research on Black history and is also the author of “Black in Red and Black”; Chuck Ambersretired primary school teacher and owner of the Casa Del Rey Moro African Museum in Old Town (shares the contributions of Africans to the world and throughout history); And Makeda “Horror” CheatFounder of World Beat Center in Balboa Park.

Q: What are the significant moments/events in Black history locally?

A: I recently did research about the late Marie C. Wideman, who was an advocate for culture and arts in our district and has a park named after her. He served on various boards and commissions in the city and was recognized for his contributions to the city and its parks and recreation department. She was a woman of firsts, and I found at least a dozen of her photographs, researched them in newspapers, and had the opportunity to talk to her son. This was crucial for the newly designated Black Arts + Culture District, consisting of nine blocks between 61st and 69th on Imperial Boulevard (designated June 14, 2022).

in 1948 Dr. Jack Johnson KimbroughSan Diego’s first Black dentist, San Diego, organized sit-ins to desegregate hotels such as the US Grant Hotel and restaurants in the city. He was also involved in organizing the early chapters of the San Diego Urban League and the NAACP. He also had arguably the largest collection of African and African American art in San Diego.

there is a promotion compensation bill (AB 3121, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2020, creates a task force to study and develop reparations proposals for Black Americans) by former House member and current Secretary of State Shirley Weber. The United Domestic Workers of America was formed as of late. Fahari JeffersKen Msemaji and Greg Akili in 1977. They served as advisors to the late, great Cesar Chavez. This was the first domestic workers’ union in America.

Q: According to the 2020 US censusThe Black population in San Diego County is 155,813 (or about 4.7% of the county’s total of about 3.3 million). Having grown up here, I don’t think I can remember a time when the Black population even managed to reach 10%. Why don’t we see a larger Black population in San Diego? What do you think is keeping the Black population here so small?

A: Our percentages have always been small, but I think that’s because of some of the things that have happened in the past, redlining, and perhaps still going on (redlining is a practice that started with the Federal Housing Administration in the 1930s, where mortgage lenders built neighborhoods around neighborhoods that were or might already include black people). drawing red lines, refusing to give them loans and driving down property values ​​in those areas). I believe that because redlining shouldn’t happen, we are spread out in different parts of the county and are often pushed out of certain areas. You can look at housing increases (prices), rental costs, and home purchasing costs. I believe we’ve been pushing into Temecula, Menifee and some other areas lately. If you look at the history, we were in downtown San Diego, then we went to the Logan Heights area, then Valencia and Emerald Hills. We were slowly pushed out of the areas where we traditionally lived because at one point we had businesses on National Avenue and Imperial Avenue. In the early days, our businesses stopped thriving in these communities. We now have the Black Arts + Culture District and there is some movement going on on Imperial Boulevard. There are people who buy property and start building and fixing up storefronts.

Q: Can you talk about why it’s important to know who your community is and what you’ve accomplished?

A: As a person of color, as a Black person, we go to school and we are taught things and often it is not about us. We don’t know how to engage with the full picture of what we’ve been taught, especially when it comes to history. This is important because how can you be proud of yourself if you don’t know who you are, what your employees have accomplished, and what they’ve gone through to get to where we are today? Voting as an example. It’s interesting how black people decide at such a young age that they don’t want to vote, like, ‘Oh, that doesn’t mean anything,’ but it does mean something. It’s a big deal when you have your own family members you don’t even know exist who died to give us the right to vote, to fight against the racist terrorism that we had to deal with during the plunder of our land and property.

Q: When you think about our history, our contributions, what do you want people to know/understand about the Black history of this region?

A: San Diego has rich black history, and we have been here since the founding of the state of California. We as a people have contributed to the fabric of America and San Diego. Our history is important, and I want our people to know that we need to save our history by ensuring that our institutional documents and artifacts contribute to institutions willing to preserve our history. What good is our history if we don’t document it and share it with the world? We lost our photo archives in garbage containers; We must not allow this to happen and must have a succession plan for where we want our papers and works to go.

I’m currently working on a project with the San Diego History Center and it’s their job to collect items for the Missing Pieces project. My goal is also to get support from the Delilah L. Beasley Historical Society so we can start working on projects like supporting the Black Arts + Culture District to build a cultural center and having a comprehensive repository that the black community can better understand. a place to donate their papers. We want to work with the city and county to conduct black cultural tours and recognize areas around San Diego with historical markers to showcase the importance of our contributions from downtown San Diego to Logan Heights, Valencia Park, Emerald Hills, and other areas in our region. districts. Even though our numbers are small, we are here and we stay.

First Publication Date: November 24, 2024, 6:00 AM PST