A People’s History of the Inland Empire Digital Archive

Darlo Murray Oral History

2024.021.006

Oral History

Darlo Murray’s great grandmother, Ola McDowell, moved to the Valley and settled in a home on Norman Road. Murray says that she raised her 13 children in the area and opened a restaurant with his grandfather called McDowell’s cafe. He fondly remembers his great grandmother’s family reunions, her amazing spaghetti, and her large garden of cabbage, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, and more, which Murray’s family used for groceries. Murray says he was the last person to live in his great grandmother’s property around the year 2000 before it was sold, and he remarks on the changes he saw in the community over time. Murray moved around a lot as a kid, but remembers coming back to the community to see no kids playing in the streets and less local businesses, like there once were. He ends by saying that the Valley was the hub of the Black community in San Bernardino, and reminisces on church barbecues and events growing up where his cool pastor would show off basketball skills.

Community life in San Bernardino

Family

Gardening

Local Business

St. Mark's Missionary Baptist Church

African American History

Valley Truck Farms, San Bernardino (Calif.)

1940s-2023

Darlo Murray

Jennifer Tilton

2023

A People's History of the I.E.

.mp4

English

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