Racial Beachhead
Diversity and Democracy in a Military Town
Carol Lynn McKibben
- 352 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Racial Beachhead
Diversity and Democracy in a Military Town
Carol Lynn McKibben
About This Book
In 1917, Fort Ord was established in the tiny subdivision of Seaside, California. Over the course of the 20th century, it held great national and military importanceâa major launching point for World War II operations, the first base in the military to undergo complete integration, the West Coast's most important training base for draftees in the Vietnam War, a site of important civil rights movementsâuntil its closure in the 1990s. Alongside it, the city of Seaside took form. Racial Beachhead offers the story of this city, shaped over the decades by military policies of racial integration in the context of the ideals of the American civil rights movement.
Middle class blacks, together with other military familiesâblack, white, Hispanic, and Asianâcreated a local politics of inclusion that continues to serve as a reminder that integration can work to change ideas about race. Though Seaside's relationship with the military makes it unique, at the same time the story of Seaside is part and parcel of the story of 20th century American town life. Its story contributes to the growing history of cities of colorâthose minority-majority places that are increasingly the face of urban America.