In
the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan’s Southern California membership
grew dramatically. A 1926 march at Long Beach’s Bixby Park
drew thousands of Klansmen and women through the city’s sleepy
streets. The Klan was one of the most powerful public organizations
of the day in Long Beach, allegedly claiming prominent members of
the city’s police and fire departments. Dubbed “Iowa
by the Sea” for its large population of Midwest émigrés,
Long Beach, like many southland cities, remained strictly segregated
through the 1960s. Today, by some statistical measures, Long Beach
is the most racially and ethnically diverse city in the country;
Bixby Park’s frequent concerts, community classes and other
public events reflects this vibrant cultural mélange. |
