Bridges Digital Archive: Audio and Video Recordings
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Document Type
Oral History
Publication Date
1-9-2022
Abstract
Bobby Bivens describes his family’s history and move from Oklahoma and Texas to California because of opportunities at Norton Air Force Base and at the Kaiser Steel Mill. He shares detailed memories of his childhood attending the private school run by Miss Luper in Valley Truck Farms, his experiences in public school and playing baseball. He also remembers significant details about the early Black community on the West Side between 6th and 9th including prominent families and businesses from the 1940s and 50s. Bobby Bivens describes his memories of children and youth organizations, including Sock Hops at the roller rink, car clubs, and dances at the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge. He tells stories about race relations, both solidarities and sometimes tensions among youth, including a time when the San Bernardino High school football team fought the Klan when it tried to parade in front of the high school. The end of the interview focuses on Bobby Biven’s work at TRW, which led to his relationship with civil rights leader Francis Grice. He shares stories of Black barbershop owners, the leaders of the Drop In Center, P.K. Blakely & Golden State Insurance Company, Black realtors, and the activism of Youth Council of the NAACP and the Community League of Mothers. He worked for decades with Frances Grice and others to build Operation Second Chance, a local pioneer in job training and development, built up during the War on Poverty. He continues to tell that story in his second interview.
Recommended Citation
Interview conducted by Jennifer Tilton and Romaine Washington.
