Title created 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.; Rev. Thomas Kilgore, Jr. (1913-1998) was the first African American to become president of the American Baptist Churches, during a time when the African Americans only made up 20% of the members. He was a friend to Martin Luther King, Jr., and helped organize the 1963 March on Washington. He was a senior pastor at Second Baptist Church from 1963-1985, the oldest African American Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Kilgore combined spirituality and community work, believing that serving God and serving your community were intertwined.; Thomas J. "Tom" Bradley (1917-1998) was a popular Los Angeles mayor that served in office from 1973-1993. Bradley's five-term tenure (20 years), marked the longest tenure by any mayor in Los Angeles city's history - surpassing Fletcher Bowron (15 years in office). Bradley's career started in 1940 when he joined the Los Angeles Police Department where in a short period of time, he reached the rank of lieutenant - the highest rank held by an African American police officer at the time. While working on the force, Bradley attended night school at Southwestern University School of Law, and in 1956 he passed his bar exam and received his law degree. From 1963-1972 Bradley served on the Los Angeles City Council - 10th District, and while in office, challenged incumbent mayor Sam Yorty for the 1969 mayoral seat, which he lost. He again ran in 1973, and this time successfully unseated Yorty to become the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles. Nine years after his mayoral win, in 1982 and again in 1986, Bradley ran for Governor of California, but was defeated both times by Republican George Deukmejian. During his record-breaking tenure, Mayor Bradley hosted the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, was a driving force behind construction of the Los Angeles' light rail network, pushed for the expansion of Los Angeles International Airport and the development of the terminals in use today, and was elected for a fifth mayoral term in 1989. He chose to leave office in 1993, rather than seek election to a sixth term. In 1996 Bradley suffered a heart attack and underwent triple bypass surgery; the following day he suffered a stroke which left him unable to speak clearly for the rest of his life, and his condition limited his public appearances. Sadly, in 1998 at the age of 80, Tom Bradley suffered a fatal heart attack while at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. He is interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery. Mayor Bradley was the first African American mayor of this city.; James Roosevelt was born on December 23, 1907, the oldest son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. He was an American businessman, activist and Democratic Party politician. He received the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Marine Corps officer during World War II. He served as a Secretary to President Roosevelt and in the United States House of Representatives. He died on August 13, 1991.; Edward Ross Roybal (1916-2005) was a member of the Los Angeles City Council (1949-1962) as well as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1963-1993). In 1947, Roybal ran to fill the Los Angeles City Council District 9 seat but was unsuccessful; that same year, he helped start the Community Service Organization (CSO), and became its first president and its primary spokesman. In 1949, Roybal mounted a second attempt for a city council seat and won the election, becoming the first Hispanic to serve on the Los Angeles city council since 1881, and one of the highest-ranking Latinos in California municipal government. In 1960, Roybal helped organize the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA) and served as its first president from 1960 to 1962. That same year, he ran for Congress, winning the election in the 25th District, becoming the first Latino Congressperson from California since 1879. During his terms in office, Roybal served on the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, the Post Office Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Veterans Affairs Committee. In 1971, he served on the House Appropriations Committee for more than two decades and authored a number of bills, many which were on behalf of veterans, the elderly, and Mexican-Americans. In 1976, he founded the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and served as both president and treasurer, and later co-founded the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). Roybal became chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government, and later, chairman of the Select Committee on Aging. In 1993, after thirty years in office, he retired from Congress. In 2001, he was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Bill Clinton. Sadly, in October 2005, he died of respiratory failure at the age of 89. Mr. Roybal was awarded a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2014. Edward Ross Roybal was among the country’s most influential Hispanic politicians to date. A large group of demonstrators including both civic and religious leaders march at the intersection of Spring and First Street in Downtown Los Angeles in support of Civil Rights. A row of buses and automobiles line the street as protesters cover all corners of the intersection. In the foreground, participants hold signs that read, "Selma disgraces America"; "Don't let Selma happen in L.A!"; "We must protect all citizens"; "Stop another Selma in L.A. Vote April 6th" and "Remember Nazi Germany?" Intermingled within the marching crowd (in no specific order) are Reverend H.H. Brookins, Reverend Thomas Kilgore, Councilman Tom Bradley, 26th District Representative James Roosevelt, and 30th District Representative Edward Roybal. Photograph circa 1965. See images 00128016; 00134154, and 00144913 through 00144920 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Bradley, Tom,--1917-1998 Roosevelt, James,--1907-1991 Roybal, Edward Ross,--1916-2005 Brookins, H. Hartford Kilgore, Thomas,--1913-1998 African American men Men African American women Women City council members Civic leaders Clergy Community activists Legislators Political activists Political participation Politicians Religious leaders Crowds Demonstrations Protesters Protest movements Protest posters Pickets Signs and signboards Automobiles Buses Buildings Street lights Street signs Streets Pedestrian crosswalks Pedestrians Los Angeles (Calif.)
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