Title supplied by cataloger. Rolland Joseph 'Speedy' Curtis was born in Louisiana in 1922. After serving three years in the Marines during World War II, he and his wife, Gloria, relocated from New Orleans to Los Angeles in 1946. Curtis served four years with the Los Angeles Police Department, but resigned from the force in order to pursue both a Bachelor's and Master's degree from USC. He later became involved in city politics, as an associate of Sam Yorty, and later a field deputy to City Council members Billy Mills and Tom Bradley. He was briefly director of the Model Cities program in 1973. Rolland J. Curtis died in his home in 1979, the victim of a homicide. An affordable housing complex on Exposition Blvd. near Vermont Ave. was named in his honor in 1981, along with a nearby street and park.; Elected in 1963, Billy G. Mills (1929-) was the third African American to serve on the Los Angeles City Council, a seat he held until 1974 when he became a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. He was the first African American chairman of the Democratic County Central Committee, winning over fellow Councilman Tom Bradley by just three votes.; Born on March 14, 1926, George Pierre was a war veteran, author, politician, businessman, and television and movie screenplay writer. At the age of 16 he volunteered and enlisted in the armed forces as a PFC in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and became the recipient of the Purple Heart. After getting out of the military, he earned many degrees including a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts in Political Science, Associate in Arts in Social Sciences, Master of Arts in Political Science and doctoral candidate in Political Science. In 1955, George Pierre was nominated to the Judgeship of Colville Court in Washington State and in 1960, he was a candidate for the US Commissioner of Indian Affairs; in 1963, he was the installed Chief of the Colville Confederated Tribes after his father's death; in 1964, Pierre was elected and served one term in the House of Representatives for Washington State. As a businessman in the 1960's, George Pierre organized the "All American Indian Week" at the Los Angeles fairgrounds, an annual powwow and Indian arts and crafts market. Chief George Pierre died on September 16, 2011 and is interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Photograph caption dated November 22, 1968 reads, "The second annual All American Indian Week show, featuring arts and crafts demonstrations, Indian lore displays, war dance contests, a horse show and an authentic teepee village, will be held tonight and all day Saturday and Sunday in Wrigley Field, 41st St. and Avalon Blvd." Pictured are Council member Gilbert Lindsay speaking into a microphone, Council member Billy Mills to his right, Chief George Pierre on the left, Don "Chief Rolling Thunder" Fisher behind them (not fully visible), and a reporter crouching on the foreground with outstretched hand holding a microphone. Several Native Americans in full dress are visible in the background. See images 00119225 through 00119237 and 00119239 through 00119249 for additional photos in this series.
Type
Image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Lindsay, Gilbert Mills, Billy G Pierre, George Fisher, Don African American politicians African American men City council members Native Americans Native Americans--Clothing Headdresses Feathers Reporters and reporting Press conferences Microphones Banners Children Women Men Los Angeles (Calif.)
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