© 2024 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
KALW Public Media / 91.7 FM Bay Area
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Crosscurrents

Celebrating the history of African Americans in Santa Clara County

The South Bay used to be an area where African Americans flourished. Since the late 1700s, through the Great Migration and the civil rights movement of the 60s, black families thrived, working in the car industry, public service, and yes — technology.
Today, just  2.8% of San Jose’s population is black. So what happened? A new photo book tells the story of Black San Jose. It’s called "African Americans of San Jose and Santa Clara County." Through more than 150 photographs, author Jan Batiste-Adkins goes back in time tracing the history of black people in the South Bay — all the way back to 1777.

"I know we are proud of our heroes, Martin Luther King and others, but we have local heroes too. My purpose to writing this book was to highlight some of those local heroes."

Jan Batiste-Adkins, author of the new book "African Americans of San Jose and Santa Clara County," will be talking about her book at the San Jose Museum of Art this Sunday.

Tags
Crosscurrents History
Hana Baba is host of Crosscurrents, KALW's weeknight newsmagazine that broadcasts on KALW Public Radio in the San Francisco Bay Area.