This Week in Pasadena - Altadena Black History. May 4 - May 10
May 4, 1963: The Pasadena City Council passed a resolution supporting the goals and tactics of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in their efforts to end segregation in the South. May 5, 1945: The Pasadena Branch of the NAACP organized a mass meeting at the Metropolitan Baptist Church in support of the "Double V" campaign, which aimed to achieve victory against both fascism abroad and racism at home. May 6, 1961: A group of Freedom Riders, including Pasadena resident Robert Farrell, were arrested in Jackson, Mississippi for violating segregation laws on interstate buses. May 9, 1965: The Watts Labor Community Action Committee, which was founded in response to the Watts riots, held a meeting at the Altadena Community Center to discuss strategies for addressing poverty, unemployment, and police brutality in the black community. May 10, 1924: The Pasadena Community Playhouse, which was then called the Pasadena Playhouse and School of the Theatre, premiered "Green Pastures," a play with an all-black cast that depicted scenes from the Old Testament in an African American vernacular. The play, which was controversial at the time, went on to become a Broadway hit and was eventually made into a movie. These are just a few examples of the many important events related to Black History that have occurred in Pasadena and Altadena. |
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