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Where Do We Go from Here? Histories of Long-Term Black Business Ownership, Community, and Family in Los Angeles County
COHR.0001
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Where Do We Go from Here? Histories of Long-Term Black Business Ownership, Community, and Family in Los Angeles County
Creator:
Hester, Yolanda
Creator:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Center for Oral History Research
Identifier/Call Number: COHR.0001
Physical Description:
18 Oral Histories
(49 digital files)
Date (inclusive): 2017-2018
Abstract: This series documents long-term and multigenerational business ownership in the Black community through oral history interviews
with owners of businesses located in Los Angeles County.
Physical Location: Held at UCLA Library Special Collections.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for research.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS DIGITAL MATERIALS: This collection contains processed digital materials.
Copyright to portions of this collection has been assigned to the UCLA Library Special Collections. The library can grant
permission to publish for materials to which it holds the copyright. All requests for permission to publish must be submitted
in writing to Library Special Collections. Credit shall be given as follows: The Regents of the University of California on
behalf of the UCLA Library Special Collections.
[Identification of item], Where Do We Go from Here? Histories of Long-Term Black Business Ownership, Community, and Family
in Los Angeles County (COHR 1). UCLA Library Special Collections, Center for Oral History Research, University of California,
Los Angeles.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Interviews created by the UCLA Center for Oral History Research.
Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user
interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides
a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive
processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.
Finding aid created by Hailey Loman in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT) under the supervision of Courtney
Dean, 2019. Additional finding aid edits by Yana Demeshko, 2021.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
9376243
Interviews in this series were conducted by Yolanda Hester, M.A., African American studies, UCLA for the UCLA Center for Oral
History Research during 2017-2018. Hester prepared for the interviews in this series by looking at a number of books and articles
that examined Black business ownership in a historical context, as well as articles that examined it from a social science
perspective and looked at current socioeconomic debates and findings.
This series documents long-term and multigenerational business ownership in the Black community through oral history interviews
with owners of businesses located in Los Angeles County. Businesses were chosen based on two criteria: that the business had
been in operation for at least twenty-five years and that it was currently active at the time of the interview. An effort
was also made to ensure that the businesses selected represented a variety of sizes and industries. They range from small,
local businesses with only a couple of employees to enterprises that have a regional and even national reach, and the industries
represented include construction, real estate, insurance, communications, dry cleaning, restaurants and catering, mortuaries,
barbershops, and stove repair. Due to limited resources and time constraints, the interviews focused primarily on businesses
in the Pasadena area and in South Los Angeles, with selected businesses in Hollywood, Gardena, and downtown Los Angeles as
well. South Los Angeles remains one of the most important centers of Black economic activity in the region, and the Pasadena
area has historically been a final stop for many Blacks who migrated to Southern California. It is also important to note
that although the series focused mostly on these two areas, the reach and customer base of these businesses span well beyond
their local communities.The first section of each oral history covers the individual's family and migration history. The second
and third sections then examine each business from two perspectives: (1) the day-to-day functioning of the business, i.e.,
staffing, profit and losses, marketing, etc., and (2) broader businesses strategies, including responses to policy changes,
technological development, demographic shifts, and changes in the economy. For reasons that included scheduling, health,
and capacity issues, some of the business owners who were invited to be interviewed declined. Those businesses included Eso
Won Books, Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles, Pete's Foods Products, Winmax Construction Corporation, Beauchamp Distributing
Company, and Gallery Plus.
Oral histories are listed in the finding aid in alphabetical order by interviewee's last name.
Existence and Location of Copies
Digital copies are available electronically via the
Center for Oral History Research website.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
African American business enterprises -- California -- Los Angeles -- History -- 20th century
African American business enterprises -- California -- Pasadena -- History -- 20th century
African American businesspeople -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews
African American businesspeople -- California -- Pasadena -- Interviews
African American businesspeople -- California -- Los Angeles -- Biography
African American businesspeople -- California -- Pasadena -- Biography
African American neighborhoods -- California -- Los Angeles -- History
African American neighborhoods -- California -- Pasadena -- History
Oral histories.