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. A very young protestor wearing a skirt suit appears to get the attention of two unidentified pedestrians as she stands out among the unidentified crowd of men and women smiling, holding a picket sign that reads, "Act now Mr. President." Most of the people pictured are part of a large group of demonstrators that 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
African American men Men African American women Women African American girls Girls Political activists Civil rights demonstrations Civil rights movements Demonstrations Picketing Signs and signboards Crowds Streets Automobiles Parking meters Street signs Smiling Posing Los Angeles (Calif.)
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
