The Postwar Struggle for Civil Rights: African Americans in San Francisco, 1945-1975 / Edition 1

by Paul T. Miller

Overview

The war industries associated with World War II brought unparalleled employment opportunities for African Americans in San Francisco, a city whose African American population grew by over 650% between 1940 and 1945. With this population increase came an increase in racial discrimination directed at African Americans, primarily in the employment and housing sectors. In San Francisco, most African Americans were effectively barred from renting or buying homes in all but a few neighborhoods and, except for the well-educated and lucky, employment opportunities were open in near-entry levels for white-collar positions or in unskilled and semi-skilled blue-collar positions. As San Francisco's African American population expanded, civil rights groups formed coalitions to picket and protest, thereby effectively expanding job opportunities and opening the housing market for African American San Franciscans. This book describes and explains some of the obstacles and triumphs faced and achieved in areas such as housing, employment, education and civil rights. It reaches across disciplines from African American studies and history into urban studies and sociology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415806015
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/08/2009
Series:	Studies in African American History and Culture
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Paul T. Miller is an independent researcher living in the Bay Area. He holds a doctorate in African American Studies from Temple University and has taught courses in African American history and African history and culture. His research interests include postwar African American history, African development and global peace studies.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1. The Postwar 1940s 2. Challenges of the 1950s: Discrimination, Employment and Crime 3. Housing in the 1950s 4. 1960–1964, Protest and Struggle 5. 1965–1969, Rights and Repression 6. Housing in the 1960s 7. The 1970s, Progress and Setbacks. Conclusion