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.; H. Claude Hudson (1886-1989), was a dentist, lawyer, banker and civil rights leader. Hudson earned a degree in dentistry from Howard University in 1913, and by 1921 was an early president of the first branch of the National Organization for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) serving in that capacity for 10 years. In 1927 at the age of 41, he enrolled in the four-year evening program at Loyola Law School while actively practicing dentistry throughout his law school career, and in 1931 became the first African American to graduate from that school. Though he never practiced as a lawyer in the traditional sense but rather, studied the law to provide services to the NAACP in bringing about justice and fighting for inequality, and is also credited with desegregating Los Angeles beaches. In 1946 Hudson founded Broadway Federal Savings and Loan, the nation's second largest black savings and loan association, and served as chairman of the board from 1949 to 1972. He was one of the most revered Civil Rights leaders in Los Angeles, and earned the title "Mr. NAACP" from Los Angeles locals who recognized him as the city's most respected Black leader who dedicated 60 years of his life to civil rights. Henry Claude Hudson died in 1989 at the age of 102. Reverend H.H. Brookins (left) can be seen speaking to a large crowd of community activists as Reverend Thomas Kilgore (right) stands next to him holding some paperwork in his hands, waiting for his turn at the mic. Dr. Claude Hudson is visible sitting along the right, just behind a small speaker; the three men appear to be addressing the crowd from atop a raised platform. A bullhorn with a bumper sticker that reads, "Roybal" and a picket sign with the word, "Shame" can partially be seen toward the front, peeking above the spectators heads. The large group of demonstrators gathered in Downtown Los Angeles in support of Civil Rights. 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
Brookins, H. Hartford Kilgore, Thomas,--1913-1998 Hudson, H. Claude--(Henry Claude),--1886-1989 African American men Men African American women Women Political activists Civic leaders Clergy Civil rights demonstrations Civil rights leaders Civil rights movements Demonstrations Stages (Platforms) Picketing Signs and signboards Bumper stickers Microphones Buildings Crowds Streets Los Angeles (Calif.)
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