My Blue Heaven: Life and Politics in the Working-Class Suburbs of Los Angeles, 1920-1965In the 1920s, thousands of white migrants settled in the Los Angeles suburb of South Gate. Six miles from downtown and adjacent to Watts, South Gate and its neighboring communities served as L.A.'s Detroit, an industrial belt for mass production of cars, tires, steel, and other durable goods. Blue-collar workers built the suburb literally from the ground up, using sweat equity rather than cash to construct their own homes. As Becky M. Nicolaides shows in My Blue Heaven, this ethic of self-reliance and homeownership formed the core of South Gate's identity. With post-World War II economic prosperity, the community's emphasis shifted from building homes to protecting them as residents tried to maintain their standard of living against outside threats—including the growing civil rights movement—through grassroots conservative politics based on an ideal of white homeowner rights. As the citizens of South Gate struggled to defend their segregated American Dream of suburban community, they fanned the flames of racial inequality that erupted in the 1965 Watts riots. |
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My Blue Heaven: Life and Politics in the Working-Class Suburbs of Los ... Becky M. Nicolaides No preview available - 2002 |
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activity American Angeles became began blue-collar building California Census Chicago churches City civic civil rights Club Committee concerns continued County culture December district early economic Education efforts factories February federal first force formed Gate’s groups History Home Gardens homeowners housing Huntington Park identity important improvements industrial interview issue January John July June labor land late leaders living Los Angeles lots majority March merchants neighborhood neighbors noted November October organized owners percent plant political Population postwar race racial represented residents September showed Smith social South Gate Press South Gate residents South Gate Tribune southern street suburb suburban tion town U.S. Bureau union United University University Press Urban wage Watts women workers working-class World York