Historical Resource: A 1942 African-American Community Directory Digitized and Now Available Online

From The East Bay Times:

A rare artifact of African-American history on the West Coast that belonged to the descendant of a former slave has been digitized and is now online in searchable form for browsing or downloading.
The Official California Negro Directory and Classified Buyers Guide, a 1942-43 publication by New Age Publishing, contains residential and business listings for California, Oregon and Washington.

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The era captured in the directory is a pivotal time during World War II when work force demands opened defense industry employment opportunities that brought blacks to the West Coast, swelling the established population.
The publication provided an informational resource for a community still segregated from the mainstream. It also simultaneously boosted the growing struggle for equality, while taking a patriotic tone. “God Bless America The Land Of Freedom” is written across the top of the cover.

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Direct to Digitized Directory
See Also: From the Free Library of Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Colored Directory of 1910 Recently Scanned and Available for Download (October 6, 2017)

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