Forgotten historical footnotes always add immeasurably to the understanding of a subject's history. "From the Quarters to Lincoln Heights" has footnotes regarding a California town few outside of it knew of or remembered except for those who lived it. Several are interviewed reminiscing about the town of Weed in California and how African-Americans survived in a town that was once segregationist and where the only job you could if you were African-American was in a lumber mill.
The town of Weed had its own segregated communities whether you were black, Italian or Mexican or white. (The blacks lived in a section named the Quarters, now known as Lincoln Heights) Weed's growth came about during the 1920's when workers were sought for the town's lumber mill. Blacks came from down South to work in northern California - good jobs, good income and enough to live a decent life. The town of Weed is not the only one covered in a historical context - the towns of Mc Cloud, Mt. Shasta and Dunsmuir are also explored. But even in such towns, racism was prevalent and segregation was practiced, though apparently it was worse in the South. Interracial relationships were a definite no-no and Weed's own local shops and eateries were largely for the white people in the area - blacks could frequent the shops but the cafes were off limits as far as sitting at a table and having a meal. Segregation also extended to cemeteries, some of which had no gravestones!
The more dangerous jobs were given to the blacks, particularly operating the machines (one was known as the Titanic) with cables that lifted heavy logs (many died operating them). The whites who owned the mill found themselves moving up the ladder to the foreman positions while the blacks were employed solely for hard labor. It wasn't until the Civil Rights era, specifically through Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), that opportunities were presented to the blacks who could finally move up in the mill company, or work any jobs in Weed including a Safeway supermarket. A slow progressiveness occurred with the development of a baseball team known as the Weed Sons where blacks could play ball.
"From the Quarters to Lincoln Heights" is a captivating history lesson complete with interviews of descendants and former workers of Weed, charting the town's unique history of the late 1800's up through the Great Migration of the 1920's and beyond to modern day. With skillful use of archival photos and reenactments plus some riveting, often troubling insights into the town's history regarding race from locals, "From the Quarters to Lincoln Heights" makes the case for learning from our history in its complexity regarding the treatment of people who deserved to be treated equally. A rare, provocative glimpse into such forgotten quarters .
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