Sharon Mcgriff-payne

African Americans in Vallejo (Images of America Series) Sharon Mcgriff-payne

African Americans have been part of the Vallejo mosaic since the citys inception in 1850. John Grider, a Tennessee native and former slave, was one of the citys earliest residents and a veteran of the California Bear Flag Revolt of 1846. Many 19th-century black pioneers established homes, businesses, and schools during the Great Migration period of 19101970s, when the bulk of Vallejos black community took firm root. During this period, black folks from throughout the Southtiny towns and big cities alike, from places like Itasca, Texas; Heidelberg, Mississippi; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Lake Wales, Floridamade their way west searching for war industry jobs at Mare Island Naval Shipyard and lives relatively free of unrelenting racial discord.