From 1939 through 1966, this guidebook was indispensible for many African American visitors to the Los Angeles area and other major U.S. cities.
From the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
In English, Chinese, Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese.
Photo from the Security Pacific National Bank Collection at the Los Angeles Public Library
Circa 1939-1945. African American "Rosie the Riveter" at a Los Angeles area aircraft manufacturing plant during World War II. She was one of almost half a million American women among more than 2 million workers overall who built aircraft during the war. According to the Los Angeles Times, more than 10,000 African American families among many other families moved to Los Angeles for jobs in the war industry. As African American pilots flew combat aircraft in the war, African American workers helped to build them.
The two most famous brothers in early Los Angeles history were of Indian, African and Spanish descent.
Paul Revere Williams was the first African American west of the Mississippi River to become a certified architect. Despite barriers due to his race, his achievements left a significant mark on the architectural landscape of Los Angeles.
