Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson to Speak about Black History in South Bay

El Camino College’s Library and Learning Resources and the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences welcomes Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson who will present her much-anticipated lecture, “Re-inserting the African American Experience into the South Bay History of Los Angeles County,” on Thursday, April 21, at 1:15 p.m. in the East Dining Room on campus.

In her lecture, Dr. Jefferson will describe how racism and discrimination terminated the construction plans for an affluent residential community targeting a growing middle-class African-American community within the South Bay area. The Gordon Manor residential project was to be created on the land between Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Redondo Beach Boulevard, where El Camino College, Alondra Park and the adjacent golf course are now located.

Dr. Jefferson is known for her research and studies of the African American experience in Southern California—specifically the history of the “Great Migration” from rural southern states during the early part of the twentieth century. In her book, Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era (University of Nebraska Press, 2020), she examines how African Americans attempted to create communities and projects within the County of Los Angeles during the Jim Crow era.

This lecture supports the Spring 2022 library exhibit, “The History We Stand On: A Chronicle of the Land that El Camino Occupies,” opening on May 12 in the El Camino College Library lobby. The exhibit will examine the history of the land occupied by El Camino College. Visitors of the exhibit will learn about the first inhabitants, the Gabrielino Tongva, and the contested use of land throughout history, including Mexican ranchos, Japanese tenant farming, as well as Gordon Manor.

For more information, contact Kerri Webb, El Camino College Public Information Officer at 310-660-3406 or kwebb@elcamino.edu.

El Camino College encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation, or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the event organizer, Linda Cooks lcooks@elcamino.edu as soon as possible, but no later than 7 days prior to the event.