Bridges Digital Archive: Audio and Video Recordings
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Document Type
Oral History
Publication Date
4-15-2022
Abstract
Pastor Percy Harper and Donald Jackson, his childhood friend, reminisce about their childhood, experiences at Mill School, their parent’s migration and the physical appearance of the Valley Truck Farm community. Harper and Jackson remember local businesses such as Jackson’s family store, Bradley’s, and the effect those businesses had on the community. Both Pastor Harper and Jackson describe the Valley Truck Farm as a tight-knit community which bonded over their willingness to share their farm-grown food and to organize themselves to solve problems. Pastor Harper and Jackson describe the dispersal of the Valley Truck Farm community as a consequence of rezoning, the closure of Norton Air Force Base and Kaiser Steel, and the lack of systematic preparedness. Jackson shares that during the mid-1960s his family moved to the Westside. Although the Westside shared certain aspects of the Valley Truck Farm, the Westside offered Jackson different experiences. Pastor Harper acknowledges how his relationship with education was strengthened by his beloved community, his mother, and teachers encouraged him to persevere. He narrates his experience with desegregation and diversity within his time at Pacific High School, San Gorgonio High School. and at University of California, Riverside, where he founded BSU clubs. Pastor Harper concludes the interview with the fate of his church, St. Mark’s Missionary Baptist Church, in relation to San Bernardino’s redevelopment, how COVID affected St. Mark’s, and how God has guided him along his journey.
Recommended Citation
Interview conducted by Jennifer Tilton and Lauryn Carey.
