Jackie Robinson, 1951. [Library of Congress]
Pasadena Heritage will present “200 Years of Black Pioneers in Pasadena and Los Angeles” on Saturday, Feb. 21 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Blinn House, 160 N. Oakland Ave.
The hybrid lecture features Steven McCall, who has worked with the Los Angeles Conservancy, and Dave Nufer, program developer, researcher and docent for Pasadena Heritage.
Through historical research, preservation work and community narratives, the speakers will examine how pioneering Black individuals, families and communities shaped Pasadena and the greater Los Angeles region and their lasting cultural, social and civic impact.
This isn’t the first presentation of this program.
The Pasadena Public Library hosted a Zoom version on Feb. 10, 2021, at 5 p.m.
That description stated that “many people don’t realize how deep the African American community’s roots are in Southern California.”
The 2021 presentation explored “the stories, some little known, of half a dozen pioneering, local individuals and communities,” including “the original African American settlers of Pasadena, who quickly formed a vibrant, tightly knit community here by the early 1900s.”
One figure highlighted was Paul R. Williams, described as “the first licensed African American architect west of the Mississippi, who built almost a thousand buildings throughout Los Angeles, including in and around Pasadena.”
“200 Years of Black Pioneers in Pasadena and Los Angeles” will run on Saturday, Feb. 21 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Pasadena Heritage, 160 N. Oakland Ave., in Pasadena. For more call (626) 441-6333 or visit https://www.pasadenaheritage.org/events-tours/jnpvewbqeu2ff53wvz4uqbic1w14fr. Tickets: General Admission $20 ; Virtual ticket $10
