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.; Leon H. Washington, Jr. (1907-1974) became the first African American to serve on the Board of Directors of the California Newspaper Publishers Association, and his own newspaper, the Los Angeles Sentinel which began publication in 1933, and is currently the oldest and largest running African American newspaper in Los Angeles. Washington became best known for his "Don't Spend Where You Can't Work" campaign, which boycotted businesses that operated in black communities, but refused to hire black workers.; 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. Pictured are James Roosevelt (at center) and Leon H. Washington Jr., (on far right) smiling brightly with an unidentified group of African American boys for what appears to be a Christmas themed gathering. In the background Christmas decorations can be seen on the walls, and beside the children are a stack of games and an inflatable Santa Claus. No further information has been provided about this event. Photograph dated in 1965. See images 00138065 through 00138071 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Roosevelt, James,--1907-1991 Washington, Leon H.,--Jr African American politicians African American political activists African American men African American children Political candidates Politicians Businessmen Food relief Holiday decorations Christmas stockings Games Children Boys Men Los Angeles (Calif.)
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