In order to understand the culture of present-day societies, one must first come to terms with the past…

I recently had a chat with my best friend from college who was born and raised in North Carolina, which is in “the south” as we call it. My dad, my cousin, and I were all sitting at my dining room table trying to explain our city’s racist past and present to my best friend since she recently moved to the area. For those who don’t know, I am from Pasadena, California, a beautiful hidden gem in northeast Los Angeles County. It lies along the Foothills in the San Gabriel Valley. In our conversation of race and class in Pasadena, my cousin mentioned that he had recently been harassed by a law enforcement officer who wanted to know why he was on the east side of Lake Ave after dark. It begs the question of which side does he, a Black man, belong to?

What is the importance of Lake Avenue in Pasadena, CA?

Also known as Avenue to the Sky, Lake Avenue is a major thoroughfare in Pasadena, California, running north-south through the city. It is an important transportation corridor and serves as a major commercial and retail hub for the city, especially the South Lake shopping district. Lake Avenue is home to a variety of businesses, including restaurants, shops, and service providers, as well as office buildings and other commercial properties. The street is also a major hub for public transportation in the city, with several bus lines running along it. In this way, Lake Avenue plays a vital role in the economic and social life of Pasadena and its surrounding communities.

The case of Jackie Robinson in Pasadena, California leading up to the Civil Rights Era.

The answer to a Pasadena native of what side of the city they should stay on is simple; Black people ‘belong’ on the west side. The west side of the city is where we’ve been confined to for decades as a result of segregation. Think back to the case Jackie Robinson, someone from the south who experienced one of the most famous examples of racial discrimination in the United States, in Pasadena of all places. Jackie Robinson actually used to swim at the dam hidden near my childhood home because he and other black children were not allowed to swim at the city’s public pools where the white children played. Now, 60 years later, Black men like Jackie Robinson are still being harassed and discriminated against in Pasadena just for being Black.

Jackie Robinson was an American professional baseball player who is best known for integrating/breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 and grew up in Pasadena, California.

Robinson attended John Muir High School in Pasadena, where he excelled in multiple sports outside of baseball, namely football, basketball, and track. After graduating from high school, he attended Pasadena City College before transferring to UCLA on an athletics scholarship. He became the first athlete in UCLA history to letter in four sports: football, basketball, track, and baseball.

After serving in World War II, Robinson signed with the Kansas City Monarchs, a Negro League team. In 1947, he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and made his debut as the first African American to play in MLB. He faced significant challenges and discrimination as the first Black player in the league, but he persevered and went on to have a successful career, winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1947 and eventually being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Robinson's upbringing in Pasadena and his experiences as a student-athlete at UCLA and Pasadena City College played a significant role in shaping his character and preparing him for the challenges he would face as a pioneer in baseball.

Although legally, segregation is no longer enforced, I’ll discuss 3 ways the effects of racial segregation continues to oppress the Black community of Pasadena, California.

First off, for definitions sake, racial segregation is a form of discrimination in which people are separated based on their race or ethnicity. While segregation was once legally enforced in the United States, it is now more subtle and often occurs as a result of social and economic factors. In Pasadena, California, there is evidence of present-day racial segregation that affects the city's neighborhoods, schools, and opportunities for residents.

One way that racial segregation manifests in Pasadena is through the distribution of wealth and secondly, access to community resources. The city has a significant wealth gap between its white and non-white residents, with the median household income for white families being nearly double that of Latino and Black families. This income gap is reflected in the quality of housing and amenities available in different neighborhoods. Many of the city's wealthier, predominantly white neighborhoods have well-funded schools, access to quality healthcare, and other resources that are not as readily available in poorer, predominantly non-white neighborhoods.

Another factor contributing to segregation in Pasadena is the city's history of redlining, a practice in which banks and other lenders discriminate against potential borrowers in certain neighborhoods based on the racial makeup of the area. Redlining has contributed to the concentration of non-white residents in certain neighborhoods and has had lasting effects on the city's housing market. Redlining is the most relevant variable in the case of my cousin’s police encounter on the east/wrong side of Lake Ave.

Segregation in Pasadena is also evident in the city's schools, where students of color are disproportionately represented in lower-performing schools. In 2018, the Pasadena Unified School District was found to have a significant achievement gap between its white and non-white students, with non-white students consistently scoring lower on state standardized tests. This gap is likely a result of a combination of factors, including the wealth gap. the concentration of non-white students in lower-performing schools, and the racist origins of standardized testing. I also want to mention that Jackie Robinson, Octavia E. Butler, my mother, and myself all attended John Muir High School in Pasadena. It’s safe to say that the students aren’t the problem, but rather the racist, classist system that holds kids back from their potential is.

In conclusion…

Racial segregation in Pasadena has far-reaching consequences for the city's residents, particularly those who are non-white. It limits opportunities for education, employment, and upward mobility, and contributes to the perpetuation of systemic racism. Efforts to address segregation in the city will require acknowledging and addressing the root causes of segregation, including the legacy of redlining and ongoing economic and social inequalities. This is why it is important to know the history of our hometowns. In mine and my cousin’s case, why we aren’t meant to be on the east side of town after dark, and Pasadena isn’t even a sundown town.

Top 3 Jackie Robinson Quotes:

1. "Negroes aren't seeking anything which is not good for the nation as well as ourselves. In order for America to be 100 percent strong -- economically, defensively and morally — we cannot afford the waste of having second- and third-class citizens."

2. "I think if we go back and check our record, the Negro has proven beyond a doubt that we have been more than patient in seeking our rights as American citizens."

3. "The right of every American to first-class citizenship is the most important issue of our time."

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