Stockton, California's Civil Rights Movement: A Trip Through Time

Photo Credit: Duke Downey/San Francisco Chronicle

Little Rock. Greensboro. Birmingham. Selma. Los Angeles.

These cities are well known as the historical spots of civil rights protests and battles during the '50s and '60s. For the most part, the leading voices of the movement had to make themselves seen and heard in the South. That said, the fight for equality was felt throughout the nation—including here in Stockton, California.

Today, the majority of farm laborers in the Central Valley are made up of Mexican and Central American workers. However, from the 1940s to about 1960, African Americans and poor whites—those fleeing the Dust Bowl of the 1930s—made up the majority of farm labor here. Those African American workers and their families would face their share of racism, but a form that differed from the other half of the country. According to them, in general, it was much more hidden and subtle here versus the blatant, "in your face" racism of the Southern states.

The '60s brought a time of radical change throughout the nation. In 1965, the events of "Bloody Sunday" in Selma and the Watts Riot in Los Angeles were in the spotlight, and the United States was embroiled in an inner turmoil over the rights of Blacks and minorities. A time where the United States needed to check itself with a long look in the mirror. In Stockton, those who wanted equality made their voices heard as well.

Hundreds of citizens with banners marched down Weber Ave for the same cause. The citizens here were going to do their part in the fight for justice. In an attempt to open a civil rights forum and avoid the brutality that was inflicted upon marchers in the South, Rev. Robert L Phillips pleaded with civic leaders to schedule a citywide meeting to listen to and address the grievances of Stockton’s African American community. The Stockton Civic Auditorium became the location where hundreds of citizens met & listened to leaders demand job training, a south side community center, and other commitments.

Responding to the times, the University of the Pacific—led by its then progressive president Robert E. Burns—took positive steps with the cause. The Pacific, once mainly a white middle class institution charging high tuition, opened itself up to create more diversity on campus in terms of student body, faculty, and program of studies.

The first step was bringing voices of the civil rights movement to the university. Campus chaplain Larry Meredith turned Morris Chapel into the chief political forum on the mid-'60s. Hundreds of students sat in the pews of the chapel and listened to the powerful voices of Black leaders—voices that included Angela Davis and Huey Newton.

The campus also took steps to confront racial prejudice and injustice on and off campus—especially in the treatment of the Pacific’s Black athletes in downtown restaurants and when traveling to Southern institutions.

This all culminated with President Burns—influenced by Black students presenting their demands—setting up the Community Involvement Program (CIP) in 1969, providing minority and low-income community college students in Stockton with scholarships, tutoring, and other forms of aid so they could earn a bachelor’s degree. Among the distinguished graduates who benefitted from this program are NASA astronaut José Hernandez and NASA Flight Surgeon Dr. Robert Acosta.

The march for civil rights is a constant in our nation, and the people of Stockton play their own part in fighting for the rights of all its citizens in our city and the nation.

The events and information above were provided by Competing Voices: A Critical History of Stockton, California, written by Ronald Eugene Isetti. Isetti earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at University of the Pacific. He was awarded his doctorate in American and Asian history by UC Berkeley and went on to teach American, Modern Chinese, & Modern Japanese History at St. Mary's College of California for thirty-five years.

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