# Was pre Civil rights era California particularly tolerant of Blacks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 21, 2014, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-pre-civil-rights-era-california-particularly-tolerant-of-blacks/707818 "2014-12-21T13:15:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-pre-civil-rights-era-california-particularly-tolerant-of-blacks/707818/21 "2014-12-22T18:51:56Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > California was certainly better than the South or the urban Northeast/Midwest for blacks, but people there still encountered prejudice. The book [The Warmth of Other Suns](http://www.amazon.com/Warmth-Other-Suns-Americas-Migration/dp/0679763880/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419171074&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Warmth+of+Other+Suns) tells the story of the black migration out of the South after WWI. It follows three stories, one of which is about a man who moves to Los Angeles, and includes some detailed discussion of the types of prejudice (mostly social and professional) that he encounters there. Great book. Yes, I grew up there and then, and CA was better that many other areas of the USA, but by no means perfect. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-pre-civil-rights-era-california-particularly-tolerant-of-blacks/707818/22 "2014-12-22T18:56:14Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > California had about 2% black population at the time of the move and most of those would have been well off relative to the rest of black americans due to the surge in good jobs in California during the war. Louisiana had about 10% black population… Only 10%? Are you sure? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-pre-civil-rights-era-california-particularly-tolerant-of-blacks/707818/23 "2014-12-22T18:57:47Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Then, as now, I did not consider TV or movies to be an accurate representation of societal reality. That wasn’t the point. Being able to get a job, or not, in a major industry (in SoCal) is “reality”. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-pre-civil-rights-era-california-particularly-tolerant-of-blacks/707818/24 "2014-12-22T19:00:32Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > They were trespassing, having been asked to leave by Woolworth management. It is of course true that segregation was an official policy only in publicly owned facilities in NC, for what that’s worth. The cops wouldn’t arrest them, because they each had receipts showing they had made purchases in the store that day. They weren’t trespassing. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-pre-civil-rights-era-california-particularly-tolerant-of-blacks/707818/25 "2014-12-23T00:12:45Z")
> [@bup](#): > > The cops wouldn’t arrest them, because they each had receipts showing they had made purchases in the store that day. They weren’t trespassing. Once they were asked by store owner or manager to depart the premises and they refused to do so, wasn’t that trespassing then? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-pre-civil-rights-era-california-particularly-tolerant-of-blacks/707818/26 "2014-12-23T03:57:15Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Nitpick: Owens, “The Buckeye Bullet”, was a track star for Ohio State. Maybe you’re thinking of sort-of-look-alike star decathlete Rafer Johnson? You are right. May I also add that Arthur Ashe was a Bruin? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-pre-civil-rights-era-california-particularly-tolerant-of-blacks/707818/27 "2014-12-23T17:26:49Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Once they were asked by store owner or manager to depart the premises and they refused to do so, wasn’t that trespassing then? I guess the cops didn’t think so, because the manager did call the police. I know it was a purposeful part of the original 4 protesters’ strategy to buy something elsewhere in the store, and keep the receipt as they sat at the lunch counter requesting service. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-pre-civil-rights-era-california-particularly-tolerant-of-blacks/707818.md?page=1)