Blog archive
April 2024
Tulsa reparations, Religion and Politics
04/09/2024
March 2024
Trumps War with Black Women
03/31/2024
Addressing The Needs of Older Adults Through Pasadena Village
03/25/2024
Coming Soon: More Resources for Older Americans, Online and in Person
03/25/2024
Community Building Locally and Nationally
03/25/2024
Preparing for the Future with Ready or Not
03/25/2024
Volunteering is at The Heart of the Village
03/25/2024
Women's Liberation: Then and Now
03/25/2024
Writing Memoirs Together
03/25/2024
Current Views on Current Events
03/20/2024
Unchained
03/18/2024
Rumr of Humor issue # 2409
03/10/2024
Blacks Portrayed by European Artists
03/03/2024
Rumor of Humor #2408
03/03/2024
February 2024
Caring for Ourselves and Each Other
02/27/2024
Doug Colliflower Honored
02/27/2024
Great Decisions Connects Us to the Worldwide Community
02/27/2024
Letter from the President
02/27/2024
Pasadena Village's Impact
02/27/2024
The Power of Touch
02/27/2024
Villages as a New Approach to Aging
02/27/2024
Addressing Gang Violence in Pasadena-Altadena
02/21/2024
Rumor of Humor Issue 2407
02/19/2024
Thank You For Caring.
02/12/2024
Rumor of Humor 2405
02/11/2024
Curve Balls
02/10/2024
Sylvan Lane
02/10/2024
Rumor of Humor 2404
02/09/2024
Larry Duplechan, Blacks in Film
02/03/2024
January 2024
Pasadena Village Joins Community Partners in Vaccination Campaign
01/29/2024
Rumor of Humor #2403
01/28/2024
Pasadena Village Joins Two Healthy Aging Resource Projects
01/25/2024
Decluttering: Do It Now
01/24/2024
Village Volunteers Contribute to the Huntington Magic
01/24/2024
Villagers Creating Community
01/24/2024
Villagers Reflect on Black History Month
01/24/2024
Walk With Ease, 2024
01/24/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2402
01/21/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2401
01/15/2024
Re- Entry Programs, a Personal Experience
01/08/2024
Residential Segregation That Divided America
By Blog MasterPosted: 10/09/2021
Several participants shared personal stories about marketing, sales and working with Realtors.
In 1970, a participant and her husband were relocating from Detroit to Pasadena. She recalled being advised not to purchased a home in Pasadena as there was a possible desegregation decision in the future which would result in school bussing. Having lived in Detroit, this did not concern the family and they purchased a home in Pasadena. She reported being grateful that her son was able to attend Blair High School and receive his education in an integrated setting.
A participant currently living in Portland, Oregon, recalls a realtor referring to an area of Pasadena as "Coon Town". This was in 1969.
Another participant noted that in an aerial view of the Glendale area, Glenoaks Blvd. was used as a dividing line for realtors when showing properties to African American families. She also noted that when purchasing her condominium in 2004 it was a redlined property and required changing the deed.
Another participant shared purchasing a San Rafael property in 1975 at an affordable price because of bussing and benefiting five years later when selling the property, most probably because of the increased use of private schools.
This brought up a question about the Fair Housing Council which Pasadena had for a period of time, although the dates were uncertain. Among the many things the Council did was the Mixed Couples test to determine what actual housing practices were.
The recent passage in California of Proposition 19 was discussed as possibly having unattended consequences related to segregated housing in the future.
Continuing with the discussion about personal housing experiences, a participant recalled an incident from 1980. The individual purchased a home in La Canada. During the period of the purchase, the participant recalled hearing that any realtor in the area who sold a home to an African American family would be "run out of the profession".
The concept of the "character of the neighborhood" was discussed. It was noted that this concept was used to limit who saw what property for sale and sustained the segregation of neighborhoods.
The group next discussed the altering and destruction of historically minority neighborhoods by public works projects, particularly highways. It was noted that Portland is discussing how the historic African American neighborhood might be restored. It was noted that Tulsa was also having a similar community discussion.
This lead to a discussion of the recent State Legislation to return the Manhattan Beach property taken from the Bruce Family back to the heirs. It was noted that the press nationally was not covering this story.
The participants included several individuals living in Texas. They provided current time updates on the voter suppression laws recently enacted.
The meeting concluded with a participant sharing a phase attributed to the Zulu people, "I am what I am because of who we (translated as meaning humanity) are."
The meeting was adjourned at 12:20pm PST.
The group will meet again October 15th at Noon PST.
On November 19, 2021, the group will have a speaker, Adrian Panton, a volunteer from the Pasadena Museum of History. He will discuss the history of the African American community in Pasadena. The meeting will begin at 12:00pm PST.