Black History Month: Taste x Culture | The Bay Area
YAY AREAAAAAAA!
If we’re talking Black History, you just can’t leave the West Coast out of the conversation! Oakland and San Francisco, often referred to as the Bay Area, uphold a strong legacy, which dates back to the Second Great Migration.
Throughout the month of February, TV One is celebrating with highlights of Black History and Experience in some significant cities across the country.
This series of features includes locations on Chef Jernard’s culinary tour that you’ll see in the all-new series Savor the City premiering this spring soon on TV One.
Between 1940 and 1970, Black folks fleeing Jim Crow laws in the South made their way out west, landing in area like the Bay during World War II. Many found work as maids, cooks, waiters, and primarily on shipyards and railroads.
Source: Heritage Images / Getty
Jobs in the transportation industry, propelled many Black families into the middle class.
In fact, Maya Angelou was the first African-American woman to work as a streetcar conductor in San Francisco – a job she got at just 16-years-old!
As time went on, we turned those jobs into businesses like restaurants, livery stables, and even grocery and furniture stores.
This was a place where Black folks built their lives from the ground up. We planted roots, started over, molded strong spirits and became resilient… even in the face of adversity.
If you didn’t know… in 1966, Oakland became the birthplace of the Black Panther Party, the era’s most influential militant black power organization whose members confronted politicians, challenged the police, and protected Black citizens from brutality.
Source: Bettmann / Getty
At its peak in the late 60s, the organization had over 2,000 members and chapters spread to major cities across the US.
And while that’s significant, the Bay Area was more than just its strong political resistance.
San Francisco’s Fillmore District became the city’s cultural and economic heart, being known as the “Harlem of the West.” Many major artists of the era performed here like Count Basie, Etta James, Duke Ellington, and others!
Source: MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images / Getty
As we know, the arts have remained a staple in the culture for generations and this was no different on the west coast, which was home to some pretty iconic people through the years.
Huey Newton, Bill Russell, Danny Glover, and Vice President Kamala Harris all came out of the Bay Area.
After the war ended, federal redevelopment projects demolished many homes and businesses. Many residents relocated to Bayview and Hunters Point, which remains a neighborhood rich in culture and a strong legacy.
Black Oakland’s preeminent role in shaping African-American identity was made possible by its sheer numbers— its community is the second largest black population in California behind Los Angeles.
Be sure to tap in to Savor the City with Chef Jernard as he explores the beauty, taste, and culture across Oakland and San Francisco.
The all-new series premieres Thursday, April 3 at 8p/7c only on TV One!
