Look to California to Understand Jim Crow
The Violence Black Americans Face Today Is Rooted Everywhere—Including the Nation’s Most Progressive State
This essay was published alongside the Zócalo public program “How Does the Inland Empire Strike Back Against Hate?,” presented in partnership with California Humanities, National Endowment for the Humanities, United We Stand, UCR ARTS, and UCR College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Watch the event here.
For over 25 years I have asked my students in U.S. history courses the same questions about Jim Crow:
“Where does Jim Crow ‘live’?”
“When did it begin?”
“How does it work?”
Their answers almost always focus on Southern states. I have taught …
