Blog archive
October 2024
Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024
Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024
Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024
September 2024
Connecting with Village Connections
09/30/2024
Betty Kilby, A Family History
09/27/2024
Reflection on Life
09/20/2024
Expanding the Possibilities
09/19/2024
Need a Ride? No Problem!
09/17/2024
Security When Aging (Especially If You Are Single)
09/17/2024
The Bridge Begins at Thanksgiving
09/17/2024
The Power of Collective Service: Putting the Village First
09/17/2024
Tino Melchor - A Mentor for Young Teens in the Making
09/17/2024
Village Party Bus Delivers FUN
09/17/2024
We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know: That’s Why We Have Educational Programs
09/17/2024
On Rereading Tolle by Ed Rinderle
09/10/2024
Autumn Leaves
09/09/2024
August 2024
1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024
1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024
First Anniversary
08/19/2024
Alexandra Leaving by Leonard Cohen
08/16/2024
Muse des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden
08/16/2024
The God Abandons Antony by Constantinos P. Cavafy
08/16/2024
Ch – Ch – Ch –Changes
08/15/2024
Cultural Activities Team offers an ‘embarrassment of riches’
08/15/2024
Engaging in Pasadena Village
08/15/2024
Future Housing Options
08/15/2024
Message from the President
08/15/2024
There Are Authors Among Us
08/15/2024
Villagers Welcome New Members at the Tournament Park Picnic
08/15/2024
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
08/14/2024
A narrow Fellow in the Grass by Emily Dickinson
08/13/2024
Haikus
08/13/2024
One Art by Elizabeth Bishop
08/13/2024
Poem 20 by Pablo Neruda
08/13/2024
Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
08/13/2024
Trees by Joyce Kilmer
08/13/2024
July 2024
Alma Stokes, The Struggle in Pasadena
07/25/2024
A Poetry Gathering: Liberating Experiences Available
07/19/2024
Civil Rights Movement Series
07/19/2024
Happy Hours in Pasadena: A Villager’s Perspective
07/19/2024
Pasadena Village and the National Dialogue on Villages and Healthy Aging Research
07/19/2024
President's Message
07/19/2024
The Kern River Rafting Caper
07/19/2024
The Village Artists Group creates creative camaraderie
07/19/2024
An Example of Inherent Racism
07/14/2024
Current, Upcoming Events
07/04/2024
June 2024
No Real Recourse For Discrimination
06/30/2024
A Personal Statement of Strength and Well-Being
06/25/2024
Juneteenth Reflections
06/24/2024
Reflections on 2023-2025
06/21/2024
Reactions and Reflections Re: Juneteenth
06/19/2024
As Our Organization Grows, Villagers Recall Personal Highlights
06/17/2024
From the Outgoing President
06/17/2024
Letter from the Incoming President: Beginning Our ‘Lagniappe’ Year
06/17/2024
The Editorial Team Looks Back: Creating the Voice of the Village
06/17/2024
This Year's Resource Fair was the Most Successful Ever
06/17/2024
Telling the Whole Story
06/12/2024
Nashville
06/10/2024
May 2024
Emergency Preparedness: Are You Ready?
05/28/2024
Farewell from the 2023/24 Social Work Interns
05/28/2024
Gina on the Horizon
05/28/2024
Mark Your Calendars for the Healthy Aging Research California Virtual Summit
05/28/2024
Meet Our New Development Associate
05/28/2024
Putting the Strategic Plan into Practice
05/28/2024
Washington Park: Pasadena’s Rediscovered Gem
05/28/2024
Introducing Civil Rights Discussions
05/22/2024
Rumor of Humor #2416
05/14/2024
Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024
Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024
Rumor of Humor #2418
05/14/2024
Springtime Visitors
05/07/2024
Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024
No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024
An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024
Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024
Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024
The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024
Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024
April 2024
Rumor of Humor #2410
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2411
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2412
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2413
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2414
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2415
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2416
04/28/2024
Stimulated by "Caste"
04/22/2024
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
Two Local Stories
By Lora Harrington-PridePosted: 10/16/2023
Here are two more stories by our Villager about her experience in our local community. These stories are from some time ago now, but they are lived experiences of someone we all know, and there is reason to believe that they described things that are still happening today.
DWB: Driving While Black, 1966
I never believed my husband’s stories about the things policemen did to Black people because they were so outrageous. I thought he was exaggerating and blowing out of proportion isolated things that he had heard or read about, way back when, as something that happened in the deep south where there was known to be racism. Those things didn’t happen up here, in the north. Then, I experienced it.
My life had been sheltered. My mother was a teacher. My father was a parole officer while I was in high school. I knew policemen on a social level.
My husband grew up on the streets and he was a blue collar worker. I learned what he knew, at my age of 26.
My husband and his friend and I were going to our home in Pasadena after having visited a friend in Altadena. It was about 11 p.m.
We were going South on Raymond Avenue when a police car pulled us over with a quick siren blast.
Two officers approached the car. One came to the driver’s side, while the other, holding a shotgun, finger on the trigger went to the passenger side.
My husband, the driver, and his friend, each, rolled down their windows. I was sitting between them in the front seat.
The officer without the drawn gun, started questioning my husband as to where we were going and where we had come from. The other officer stood with his shotgun aimed at us through the passenger side-finger on the trigger.
I leaned forward trying to see the officer’s face. When I made that move the shotgun came up, in line with my head. I wanted to see what kind of an expression a person wore on his face as he pointed a loaded weapon at another human being – unprovoked.
After all licenses and ID’s had been checked and cleared, we were sent on our way.
When we got home, my husband exploded on me. He said, “Don’t you ever move, when a police officer is pointing a weapon at you!” I told him why I had moved, and he said I could have gotten my head blown off, and the officer would have been justified because he didn’t know whether or not I was reaching for a weapon to use on him. He felt his life was in danger
There had been no infraction of any kind, and there was no explanation or apology given for having stopped us. I, along with my husband and his friend, knew why we were stopped, and questioned at gunpoint; “we were Black,” and that was reason enough.
WWB: Walking While Black, 1969-1972
I had been living in my CalTech house for one week, the night I was driving home from a visit in North West Pasadena.
It was close to midnight and I was going south on Lake Avenue. I noticed that after I had crossed Colorado St., a police car was following me.
It continued to follow me when I turned left onto Del Mar, and when I turned right onto Wilson Avenue, they pulled me over.
Lake Avenue was a street with businesses, all closed.
Del Mar was lined with apartment buildings, and Wilson was lined with houses. All of these dwellings were inhabited by white families. What was a Black woman doing entering this area at night? Surely, some kind of “mischief” was afoot!
The officer approached my car and asked me where I was going. I told him I was going home.
He asked me with a smirk, “where is home?”
I said, “on Lura Street”, which was the next street, on my next left turn.
He said, “Fine. We’ll escort you there.”
Lura was a shot east/west street, bounded on the West by Wilson and on the East by Michigan. You could stand on my front porch and throw a stone onto the doorway of Beckman Auditorium on CalTech’s campus.
The officers watched me turn the door key, enter and turn on the lights before they drove away. All was well, though very surprising.
I, and my 5 children became well known, by the police department that served the CalTech area.
My 12 year old daughter, (when we moved there) was stopped by the police. At age 14, when she was walking home one winter night at 6:30 p.m., she had turned off Colorado, onto Michigan Avenue, when the police pulled over to the curb, and ordered her to the car. They had thought she was a young prostitute.
When she identified herself, one of the officers said, “Oh, you’re the sister to the 4 boys that belong to that queenly Black woman on Lura Street.”
They hadn’t expected her to grow up. I at least got a compliment of sorts.
My daughter was frightened when the police stopped her. It had to be because she had done something wrong and she had no idea what she was suspected of. When they let her go, she was not told why she had been stopped.
I told her that she was probably thought to be a prostitute, walking alone in a White neighborhood at night, off of a main street.
She burst into tears, saying, “Mom, do I look like a prostitute?” I told her that prostitutes nowadays try to look like the general public, and that, no, she did not look like a prostitute. Her crying quieted. But she was beginning to experience the first of the ugliness that lay in store for her, as “non-White.”
The police had kept safe another white neighborhood.