Guide to the Collection of Materials Related to the Peninsula Interfaith Committee on Fair Housing 026
Monique Sugimoto
Palos Verdes Library District, Peninsula Center Library. Local History Center.
2017 May 10
701 Silver Spur Road
Rolling Hills Estates, California 90274
localhistory@pvld.org
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Palos Verdes Library District, Peninsula Center Library. Local History Center.
Title: Collection of Materials Related to the Peninsula Interfaith Committee on Fair Housing
Source:
Mucha, Jeannette
Identifier/Call Number: 026
Physical Description:
8 Folders
Date (inclusive): 1964-1965
Physical Location: Local History Center
Abstract: The California Fair Housing initiative, or Proposition 14, was the focal point of racial discrimination and the civil rights
movement in California. The collection includes program files of Jeannette Mucha who was in charge of public relations for
the Peninsula Interfaith Committe on Fair Housing, an organization created to promote fair housing on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the Local History Center for access information.
Conditions Governing Use
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation
[Name of item], Collection of Materials Related to the Peninsula Interfaith Committee on Fair Housing (Collection 026). Local
History Center, Peninsula Center Library, Palos Verdes Library District, Rolling Hills Estates, CA.
Biographical / Historical
The Peninsula Interfaith Committee on Fair Housing began in 1963 in response to an initiative campaign funded by the California
Real Estate Association, to repeal the 1963 Rumford Fair Housing Act prohibiting discrimination in private housing based on
race, religion, color, national origin or ancestry. The Committee was formed to raise awareness and promote freedom of opportunity
in housing on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
The initiative, California Proposition 14, sought to amend the California constitution and allow property owners the right
to refuse to rent, sell or lease to anyone, and further that neither the State of California, its subdivisions nor agencies
could limit or deny an owner of this right. Proposition 14 passed, changing the California Constitution, with a margin of
over two million votes.
In 1966, the California Supreme Court ruled that the California Constitution as amended with the passage of Proposition 14
violated the U.S. Constitution's Equal Protection Clause. The decision was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967. The
U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the California court's decision in a 5-2 ruling invalidating the California's constitutional amendment.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Scope and Contents
Includes event program files, photographs, clippings, press releases and publications.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Included in materials donated to the Local History Center by Jeannette Mucha.
Processing Information
Initial rehousing and stabilization of materials by Local History Center volunteers. Final arrangement and description by
Monique Sugimoto 2017.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Fair housing
Discrimination in housing
Civil rights
Propositions
California -- Race relations
Civil rights movements -- United States -- History -- 20th Century
Palos Verdes Peninsula (Calif.)
Mucha, Jeannette
O'Keefe, Walter, 1900-1983
Van Dyke, Dick
Andrews, Dana, 1909-1992
Californians Against Proposition 14
Box SC 2
An American Witness for Human Dignity program file
July 1964 - 20 Sept 1964
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence, press releases, event program and flyers, speaker biographies, and a committee roster. Dignitaries
and special guests included actors Dick Van Dyke and Palos Verdes Estates resident Dana Andrews; John Roseboro, catcher for
the Los Angeles Dodgers; Dr. Robert McAfee Brown, Professor of Religion and Special Programs in Humanities at Stanford; Rabbi
Ahron Opher, faculty member of the College of Jewish Studies in Los Angeles; Walter O'Keefe, radio and television celebrity
and resident of Palos Verdes Estates; and Robert B. Kaiser, a correspondent for Time Magazine.
Box SC 2
An American Witness for Human Dignity photo album
20 Sept 1964
Scope and Contents
Includes 33 black and white snapshots of speakers and guests gathered in the "Senior Park" grounds of Palos Verdes High School.
Box SC 2
Correspondence
August 1964; November 1964
Scope and Contents
Includes two letters: one dated August 31, 1964, announcing upcoming events and soliciting support for the organization; and
one dated November 10, 1964, after the passage of Proposition 14, that outlines the history of the committee and includes
a questionnaire asking what direction the committee should take.
Box SC 2
A Festival of Negro Folk Music program file
ca November 1964
Scope and Contents
Includes a detailed summary of the preparations for the Festival of Negro Folk Music program. The program featured noted composer,
and expert on Negro spirituals and choral music, Jester Hairston; and David Bowick and the Holman Choir of the Holman United
Methodist Church.
Box SC 2
Newspaper clippings
1964-1966
Box SC 2
Press releases
October-November 1965
Box SC 2
Publications
ca 1964
Scope and Contents
Includes a brochure describing the organization, and a booklet entitled, 'What They Say About Housing,' which contains statements
of principles and position on race and fair housing by religious organizations. Statements included from the Council of Churches,
United Church of Christ, the Pacific Unitarian Church, the Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Methodist
churches, Board of Rabbis of Southern California, the National Association of Evangelicals and the Friends.
Box SC 2
Religious Witness for Human Dignity May 31, 1964 program
31 May 1964
