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Ana Carlos drives around Bloomington and describes locations where businesses have begun development. She points out how some businesses are being built near schools and in areas where community events typically occur. Carlos also talks about developers harassing homeowners into selling their homes. Those who agreed to sell had their homes quickly demolished. Carlos points out that this seems like a scare tactic against neighboring homeowners who are refusing to sell their homes.
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Ana Carlos describes the hardships of being an activist. It takes over every part of her life, including her role as a mother. However, she is adamant about preventing businesses from taking over her city of Bloomington, California. Despite any negativity or discouragement she receives she continues to fight against developments like the "Bloomington Business Parks". Carlos also describes the importance of a community coming together to fight against big corporations
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Benjamin Luna’s neighborhood has been affected by a freeway and a growing train track built near their homes. The freeway and train track has been very disruptive. Luna has had to get psychiatric help because he is not able to sleep from the noise of trains and cars passing by. He is also worried about the long term effects of pollution being released into his neighborhood. He and his family are already getting constantly sick. He is unable to relocate because he cannot afford to live anywhere else. The tracks were built so close to his home without any of his knowledge or consent. He and his community's voices have gone ignored or unheard by city officials.
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Black and white class photograph of Lincoln School in Redlands, California. "Lincoln School in 1910 was officially segregated, but in Redlands, children from the Mexican colonia went to Lincoln, Lugonia, and Franklin Elementary, mixing with children of other ethnicities from their neighborhoods." (Vasquez and Carpio, 44)
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Black and white image of four men, including Armando Gonzales (batter, third from left) at Community Park. This image was taken during the 1947 Pony Major Championship held at the baseball fields at Community Park in Redlands. Like many baseball leagues across Southern California and the Southwest, Mexican adults and children played in segregated "Mexican Leagues" rather than integrated teams.
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"Joe and Irene Gonzales leave St. Mary's after their wedding in 1947." (Vasquez and Carpio, 32) Above the newlyweds, a quote is displayed above an entryway saying, "St. Mary's Church, built to the glory of God by the Mexican people of Redlands under the direction of the Rev. James Gray Pastor. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary by the Most Rev. Charles F. Buddy Bishop of San Diego on the feast of Christ the King," and "SILENCE IN THIS HOUSE OF GOD." On the back, it says "From the Studio of William Kingham, WM. Elmer Kingham 5 1/2 and 91/2 E. State St. Redlands, California."
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Henry Vasquez recounts his experiences as a teacher for several schools in the San Bernardino area, as well as the challenges his community was forced to overcome. Henry is Chicano, and is well connected with the Native American communities near his area. In his time, the state attempted to discourage bilingual education in an attempt to assimilate natives and immigrants. He, as well as several of his collegues, protested this change, and such attempts eventually halted. Henry advocates for the opening of more Indian Centers so that members of the Native communities can be better educated to fix the problems around them. He also criticizes the encroachment of warehouses on his community due to community concerns of pollution.
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Black and white postcard with an image of the corner of Orange and Colton in Redlands, California. Sunset Market, Winn's Drug Store, and the Casa Loma Service Station opened at the corner of Colton and Orange, on the site of the former Wyatt Opera House in the early 1930s. Aurelia Ruiz Reyes recalled other businesses that provided goods and services to the Mexican Colonia: "Don Sabas we used to call him. Well, that little store [on Colombia Street] belonged to that man first. No, no, it belonged to Japanese people, and then he took over. Then when the war came he took his son to Mexico, and that's when Tommy [Martinez] bought it. Tommy had it for a long time, and that was the only little store. This other man had a bakery of Mexican bread right there on Lawton Street in front of the House of Neighborly Service. My brother-in-law used to have a little gasoline station on Stuart Street right across from Sam's Cafe. Oh, there was the Resbalon, a bar where they used to have food, it was a wife's help for their husbands to go."
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A color postcard of Redlands, California, reading "Snow-capped San Bernardino Peak as seen from Orange and Colton Avenues." The picture also shows Winn's Drug Store, a fixture in the neighborhood. From its beginnings in the 1930s, the store had a soda fountain and grill that attracted people from all over for its pie, milkshakes, and local gossip. By the time the photograph on the postcard was taken, the freeway had created a permanent barrier between the north and south sides and made the imaginary line separating the town all too concrete and real.
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Lincoln School Choir provides a concert at the Divine Savior Presbyterian Church in Redlands, CA. The performance happened in 1967 or 1968. The black and white photograph shows 4-5-6 grades the choir was led by Mrs. Kanfmann, Lincoln school teacher, and Mrs. Baker provided accompaniment.
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Black and white photograph of Ronald, Robert, Vicki, Felix, and Nelda Roque in 1955. The back of the photograph lists their ages: Ronald, age 10; Robert. age 8; Vicki, age 5; Felix, age 9 and Nelda, age 14.
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Black and white photograph of brothers Ronald (age 10, center), Felix (age 9, right), and Robert (age 8, left) Roque.
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"Manuel Villegas, standing behind the second row of his Boy Scout troop, was an educator, health, and fitness advocate, and Olympic-class weight lifter. Villegas influenced a generation of young men and women with his determination and courage as he broke color barriers at locally segregated institutions before and after World War II. Known to all as 'Manny,' Villegas was a popular schoolteacher who donated much time to community service." (Vasquez and Carpio, 34) The Boy Scout troop pictured was for Mexican children while Redlands had another troop for white children this example of segregation was one that was seen in public pools, local barbershops, and other places in Redlands.
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Black and white photograph of Joe and Irene Gonzales's wedding at St. Mary's Church Redlands in 1947. The group photograph shows the newlyweds at the alter surrounded by their many attendants, including a ring bearer and flower girls.
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Black and white photograph showing the first service at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Redlands in 1943. In the early days of Redlands, Our Lady of Mercy served as a spiritual home to the growing Mexican community but by the 1930s, it became apparent that the congregation needed a new space. Funds were raised one dollar at a time through donations collected by volunteers. St. Mary's Church opened its doors in 1943.
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St. Mary's Church was built in the 1940s when the congregation of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church grew too large. "Lupe Yglesias reflected on the origins of St. Mary's Church, 'Well, you know, before I forget, I was just thinking, all the Mexican ladies got together. We needed a church. So they would all - Concha Viramontes and some other ladies - would go once a month to collect from every Spanish family. One dollar a month to build the church. So actually, the Mexican people helped come up with that church, then it became St. Mary's.'" (Vasquez and Carpio, 32)
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Black and white photograph of road construction on Central Ave right in front of Palmer Leland "Richey" Richardson's Garage. Across the street is the La Posada Hotel. On the back is written, "Richey's Garage. 17 W Central Ave on left, Redlands Calif. looking West. Preparing for Hwy 99 which took off the front half of the garage. Looking West. Palmer Leland Richardson owner took foto." Highway 99 was once the road that is now Redlands Blvd. Highway 99 was established in 1926 as a route that ran from the Mexican border all the way to Washington state. The road was decommissioned in 1964 after the creation of the 1-10 and I-5 freeways and redesignated as Redlands Blvd.
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Talene Beuche Salmaszadeh lived and worked in Riverside for over twenty years and is an avid supporter of the local LGBTQ+ community. Through her role as a longtime host of Back to the Grind’s open mic poetry nights, her work at Back to the Grind, and as an organizer of the Saturation Fest art show, she was incredibly involved in Riverside’s LGBTQ+ art community for the past 20 years. She begins by discussing how she came to Riverside in 2001 and became involved with the local LGBTQ+ community through her regular visits to the Menagerie and activity with Riverside’s Underground Poetry Organization (RUPO). Salmaszadeh details the establishment of Back to the Grind coffee shop as a queer-friendly arts and community space which early on hosted RUPO’s community open mic poetry nights. She then describes how the Saturation Fest art show came to be, a process in which she was closely involved with as an organizer over the years. Salmaszadeh then touches on the murder of Jeffrey Owens, and the impact his death had on the local LGBTQ+ community. She closes out by discussing several key players in the local LGBTQ+ community and reflecting on the great ability of the Saturation Fest and Back to the Grind to be safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and as well as for the broader community.
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In 1994 Darren Conkerite and his partner Scott opened Back to the Grind Coffeehouse which they created as a safe space for youth, the LGBTQ+ community, the arts, and political organizing. This interview begins with Conkerite discussing his family’s history in Lake Elsinore and his background in cheesemaking. He then details his meeting of his partner Scott and their decision to open Back the Grind in Riverside. Conkerite elaborates on how from the beginning he and Scott fostered community at Back to the Grind, supporting all types of people, the arts, and political organizing. He also discusses his history with Madeline Lee and David St. Pierre, two owners of the Menagerie gay bar, located next door to Back to the Grind. Conkerite provides details on the development of Riverside’s downtown area, which back in 1996 was not the vibrant space it is today. The interview concludes with him reflecting on several individuals active in LGBTQ+ organizing in the area and the role of Back to the Grind as a community space.
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Connie Confer moved to Riverside in 1969 and since then has been an active organizer for LGBTQ+ and women’s issues in Riverside, holding leadership positions in organizations such as the Inland AIDS Project and the Political Action Coalition for Elections (PACE). The oral history begins with Confer discussing how she came to Riverside in 1969. She reflects on homophobia she experienced early on in the area. She then describes how after the Stonewall Riots in 1969 and California Proposition 6 in 1978, she became involved in political organizing for LGBTQ+ rights. Confer details her belief in the political and social power of the act of coming out, and her coming out in Riverside’s conservative climate. She then recounts her career working as Assistant City Attorney for Riverside for over 20 years and the work of the Inland AIDS Project and the Political Action Coalition for Elections, both of which she was president of. Confer then discusses the local battle over the AIDS Anti-Discrimination Ordinance, the backlash from the conservative Riverside Citizens for Responsible Behavior, and the work of her partner Kay Berryhill-Smith on the Human Relations Commission at the time. She also describes the work of the Inland AIDS Project in supporting and providing care for individuals with HIV/AIDS during the AIDS epidemic. Confer then details the AIDS Name Project Quilt and its community impact, which was brought to the Riverside Convention Center in 1987. She discusses the political fundraising work of PACE and its connection with the Menagerie. Confer recalls gay pride celebrations in the Riverside area which took place in the 80s and 90s and the Inland AIDS Project AIDS walks in downtown Riverside. She then describes PAC, a social group for LGBTQ+ men and women, women’s music, and lesbian cruises in the 1980s and 1990s. Confer discusses her work in women’s rights issues, including with the Spouse Abuse Coalition and Riverside County Coalition for Alternatives to Domestic Violence. The oral history closes with Conner reflecting on the state of LGBTQ+ rights today, including the fight for transgender rights and the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade.
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Jane Carney moved to Riverside in 1977 as a business lawyer and was highly active in political organizing in the area. She ran for California State assembly in 1992, helped bring the Federal District and Appellate Courts to downtown Riverside and had a large role in the legal history of Riverside’s AIDS Anti-Discrimination Ordinance battle in the early 1990s. The oral history begins with Carney discussing how she came to Riverside and her early legal career in the area. She details meeting Connie Confer and their work to help confirm California Supreme Court Justice Rose Bird, afterwhich Carney became closely involved in election campaigns and political fundraisers. Carney then provides details on the work of the Riverside Coalition Against Discrimination and the homophobic climate in context of the ballot battle of the AIDS Anti-Discrimination Ordinance in Riverside. She details the overruling of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and the important role of Riverside’s Virginia Philips in writing the case opinion. Carney also discusses her close involvement with the formation of the Riverside Justice Center through the Riverside County Bar Association. The oral history closes out with Carney reflecting on the role of drag in the acceptance of lesbian and gay people as well as the climate of coming out in the 1980s in Riverside.
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Phillip Bailey has been a long time drag organizer and celebrity in Riverside since moving to the city in 1996. He discusses his long involvement in Riverside’s drag community and its beginnings in Riverside’s Menagerie and V.I.P. gay bars during the late 1980s and 1990s. Bailey details the activism role of the Riverside drag community during the AIDS epidemic, during which drag performers held fundraiser events for the Inland AIDS Project. He discusses how the LGBTQ+ community’s organized after the murder of Jeffrey Owens in which a “We Will Not Be Silent” march took place in the city and the Jeffrey Owens Community Center was founded. He talks about Riverside drag events that he has organized, including the annual Throwdown Drag Down Drag Race, his Fant-A-Shes productions beginning in 1997, and various drag shows at the V.I.P. and Menagerie bars over the years. Bailey also discusses key factors to drag history in the Inland Empire, including the famous Halston drag family, the impact of Ru Paul’s Drag Race locally, and the triangulation between Riverside, Palm Springs, and L.A. 's drag communities. He also notes the historic and contemporary relationship between the drag community and trans people and comments on the current attacks on drag performance and trans rights in the United States today.
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Benita Ramsey has served the Inland Empire as an activist for over 30 years, working with organizations including the Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance, Divine Truth Unity Fellowship Church, and TruEvolution. She begins by discussing the Unity Fellowship Church movement, a faith based movement dedicated to supporting individuals with HIV/AIDS from the 1980s to today, and her involvement in its Riverside chapter. Ramsey then details the role of HIV/AIDS activism today in the Inland Empire, in which supporting an aging population as well as youth is central. She outlines the beginnings of TruEvolution, which she was an original board member of, that grew out of the Inland and Desert AIDS Projects. Ramsey also remembers the AIDS Quilt Project as well as several key figures in LGBTQ+ Riverside history including Kay Smith and Jeffrey Owens. She discusses the need for and formation of Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance, an organization that was the first of its kind in focusing on the needs of LGBTQ+ youth in the I.E.. Ramsey ends the interview by reflecting on the current state of I.E. LGBTQ+ organizing during a time of rampant anti-LGBTQ+ hate and anti-trans legislation, noting that organizations such as Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance, TruEvolution, and Divine Truth Unity Fellowship Church will continue to support and uplift the I.E.’s LGBTQ+ community, preach love, and overcome hate.
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Chani Beeman discusses the overlaps between and intersectionality of the LGBTQ community, women’s rights, and the empowerment of people of color. She discusses her family life, and that by the time she started college, she had two young children and had gotten remarried. She describes her exposure to the LGBTQ community during the 1980s AIDS crisis, and coming out when she was 28 years old. She mentions pressure from her family to conform to a more heteronormative lifestyle. While Chani Beeman was at Cal State San Bernardino, she became politically active and was openly gay. She describes her involvement in the socialist organization Solidarity, which emphasized the intersectionality of women’s rights, socialism, and anti-war movements. Chani Beeman also discusses her involvement in the Inland AIDS Project and Women Enraged! She shares details about her many collaborations and community organizing with other regional groups, commonly around social justice. She describes her involvement after the brutal murder of Nancy Willem in actions led by Women Enraged, including the Clothesline Project which brought attention to violence against women. Beeman also describes Women Enraged’s guerrilla theater, which included street demonstrations; other examples she offers include how WE wrote statistics about violence against women on dollar bills and distributed them in public. One of the slogans on the bills was “Stop sucking, start biting”. She is an active community organizer and member.
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Rennie Green describes his childhood in the San Bernardino Valley during the 60’s and 70’s, and the schools he attended as he was growing up. His family had a small farm, which everyone tended to. After graduating from San Gorgonio High School, he began to work at Jet Propulsion Lab, where he helped build the jets used in satellites and rovers. He describes the community he was surrounded by in the Valley Truck Farm area of San Bernardino, such as the churches his family attended and the tight-knit neighborhood.