HOW DID WE GET HERE?

WRITTEN BY JOHNSEN DEL ROSARIO ILLUSTRATED BY JARRETT M. RAMONES

Color Blind

by Maya Vannini

“I don’t see race,” says a product of privilege. Well meaning, misguided, ignorant.

To not see race is to not see the breaths behind the shades of brown, to bleach their pictures white in an unasked for effort as an unknowing “ally.” Erasure.

To not see race is to not see the de facto segregation that engulfs every community, to ignore the hand of poverty gripping colored arms, threatening to extinguish any spark trying to rise above. Indifference.

To not see race is to not see America, to turn your head towards the flag and away from the scorched backs of those boiled in the melting pot, away from the reality built brick by brick, decade by decade, constructed by prejudice fueled by race.

Named after the ash trees found along the San Joaquin River, Fresno was incorporated as a city in 1885.

After the Civil War, Southerners noticed crops weren't growing like they once were. In an attempt to find farmable land, many Southerners moved west.

Meanwhile, in California, in the area that will later be known as the Sunnyside District of Fresno, Anthony Easterby purchased some land to grow crops. He was unsuccessful due to the lack of water. To try and fix this issue, he hired Moses Church to create an irrigation system, which proved successful as his wheat farm began to flourish.

After seeing the success Easterby had, the owners of a railroad company laid tracks near the farm as part of America's first transcontinental railroad. As the area began to grow as a city, Southerners, as well as others from around the country, moved and planted their roots.

At its inception, the owners of the railroad company mainly used Chinese immigrants to lay tracks. Soon after, the railroads became a dividing line separating white and Chinese residents. Chinese immigrants were forced to stay on their side of the tracks, creating Chinatown.

How did racial divide early in Fresno’s history shape the city into what it is today?

Fresno is a city divided, a tale of two cities, except in the same city. Though not as visible as the past, the racial divide is ever-so-present.

Rosa lives in South Fresno and Lisa lives in the Fig Garden neighborhood in North Fresno. They are the same age and have the same education, but where they live determines how they live.

Both Rosa and Lisa have one goal today: grocery shopping.

What do you want for dinner tonight?

Can I get a medium coffee?

Lisa has access to a car, something Rosa does not. Lisa can grab a cup of coffee, arrive at the store and finish shopping before Rosa reaches her destination.

But where Rosa lives, a grocery store isn’t available for miles. She has to get on two different buses to get to the nearest store.

With groceries in her hands, Rosa has to take the bus to pick up her son from school before she goes home.

Lisa, whose home is walking distance from her daughter’s school, doesn’t have to worry and goes straight home to get started on dinner. The sun is already setting by the time Rosa and her son get home while Lisa and her family have already finished eating dinner.

Rosa is talking to her father, Ernesto, about how she needs to move soon because her son’s asthma is getting worse, but can’t find a house more north in their price range.

His asthma is getting worse, Dad. I need to move out but I can’t find anything in my price range.

Lisa is talking to her mother, Barbara, about her eldest daughter wanting to buy a home, but the most desirable ones are further north, not in Fig Garden near Lisa.

Hi, Mom.

She wants to buy her first home, but she’s looking at homes further north and not any close by.

It used to be so easy back then. Fig Garden used to be enough.

I thought things were tough back then, but the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

There’s a house for sale in Fig Garden. Barbara and her husband, Ernesto and his wife, want to buy the house. They have the same credentials, except for the color of their skin.

We’ll think about it.

We’ll take it.

Take your time, Barbara. You’re our first serious couple.

The house has been sold, Ernesto.

Redlining is the act of refusing people a loan because the area they live in is determined a financial risk.

In a study called paired-testing, two couples with the same credentials go look at the same housethe only difference is the color of their skin.

This is an unfit neighborhood.

There is no pride in ownership.

To determine whether an area is considered a financial risk, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation drive around neighborhoods to inspect the buildings.

In this scenario, two people from the corporation deem this neighborhood “unfit,” saying there is “no pride in ownership.” But what they say is not what they mean.

They are redlining this neighborhood because the families living in the area are nonwhite or uneducated whites, not due to lack of pride in ownership.

"President Roosevelt has signed Executive Order 9066. Japanese are being forced out of their homes and are being taken to internment camps at the fairgrounds."

This large red area contains the most mixed population of any part of the city of fresno. In it are found Japanese, Chinese, Negroes, uneducated Italians and a few representatives of several other races.

This is a map of 1940s Fresno and the areas shaded red are neighborhoods determined “unfit,” while green and blue were the most desirable.

The area south of the train tracks were deemed the most unfit… with a few exceptions.

CONTINUATION:

“Most of these people are laborers whose incomes range from about $600 to $1,200. The area has no uniformity in its building, and there is little pride in ownership shown. Buildings range from the cheapest sort of shacks up to fairly substantial five to six-room houses costing from $2,500 to $3,000. There are a few houses built in fairly recent years, but the average age of the property in this neighborhood is about 20 years. There are no deed restrictions to protect the property, and much of the area is zoned for business, particularly that part adjacent to the “white” section which is the main business part of the city.”

EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066:

“Executive Order 9066 was a presidential executive order signed and issued by President Franklin Roosevelt on February 19, 1942 following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The order cleared the way for concentration camps for Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans in the United States.”

“In Fresno, families were forced out of their homes by the government and taken to the internment camps located at the Fresno Fairgrounds before they were shipped off to concentration camps elsewhere in the United States. Once a place of fun and excitement, the fairgrounds turned into a prison with barbed wire fences, guard towers and soldiers with guns.”

HOLC + NEW DEAL:

“The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation was created in 1933 as part of the New Deal, a series of programs to help people get back on their feet after the Great Depression. The purpose of the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation was to refinance home mortgages to prevent foreclosure. People of color did not benefit from this act due to the fact they lived in redlined zones. Their properties lost value over time and if they were able to buy homes, it came with high-interest rates.”

Like Chinatown and the internment camps, the black community was forced into an area of their own between Fresno St. and Stanislaus St.

The black community created a space a couple blocks long that became what is now known as the Historic Black District.

Borders, Boundaries & Barriers

It became an important part of the black history in Fresno. The district had its own theater, stores and also housed a few of Fresno’s key black figures.

The district became an integral part in their everyday lives, helping black business owners succeed, giving the community a space to spend quality time with family and friends.

Andre, how are you doing today?

Good, Mr. Hunter.

I sure am.

I’m going to beat you today!

You keepin’ out of trouble?

Chess rematch after dinner?

See you later, Mr. Hunter.

We’ll see, Dre. Run along home, say hi to your mother.

I was only a kid when our district was torn down, but even at a young age, the disinvestment in South Fresno was evident. The government didn’t care about us.

Until one day, the government decided our district was in the perfect spot for their new highway.

The government tore down our safe space and replaced it with Highway 99. The government told business owners like Mr. Hunter that they would be compensated for the loss of their business, but they never saw a penny and if they did, the given amount was less than what was promised.

This forced some business owners to move out of the area and reopen in North Fresno, but a majority closed down shop for good.

Like how the railroad became a barrier for Chinese residents, Highway 99 became a barrier for us blacks and everyone else that lived in the surrounding areas.

Without the shops that this district provided, a lot of us were forced to travel miles to the nearest store just to get basic necessities like toilet paper and groceries.

Though Highway 99 created barriers between the different communities that make up Fresno, it wasn’t the sole perpetrator.

All the freeways in Fresno became a boundary marker between communities, dividing the city even more.

Policies create neighborhoods, and the neighborhoods created by freeways saw a greater change in the system and how disinvestment in South Fresno affected their lifestyles.

Which park do you want to go to?

Woodward!

Let’s go to Hyde Park!

Rosa and Lisa both have the day off. They plan to spend the day with their kids at their local park.

Rosa has limits to where she can go. Lisa has plenty of parks to choose from.

Rosa takes her son to Hyde Mound Park. Lisa drives 10 miles to Woodward Park.

• A hill more than a park

• A former dump site where people took trash and burned tires

• Across the street from an animal rendering plant, a poultry plant and a grease and used cooking oil recycling company

Did You Know

• For every 1,000 residents in South Fresno, there are 1.02 acres of park space? In North Fresno, there are 4.62 acres of park space for every 1,000 residents.

• But even with a larger number of acres of park space for every 1,000 residents in North Fresno, Fresno as a whole needs more parks, but especially South Fresno. In a 2017 study by The Trust for Public Land that measures how well the 100 largest cities in the United States are meeting the need for parks, Fresno ranks 90.

• Has a $5 entrance fee

• About 300 acres

• Has many amenities like an amphitheater, a Japanese garden, a dog park, a BMX dirt jump park, hiking and equestrian trails, playgrounds, picnic areas, a lake and ponds.

In Fresno, the ZIP Code you live in determines how long you live.

The families in South and West Fresno are likely to die 20 years earlier than their North Fresno counterparts.

In fact, the California Environmental Protection Agency released a map in 2013 that revealed ZIP Code 93706 as California’s most polluted ZIP Code due to dirty air, contaminated water and chemical exposure to name a few. 93702 and 93725 were also listed, 5 and 9 respectively.

So what?

• Preterm labor

• Low birth weights

• Asthma

• Heart diseases

• Cancer

• Obesity

• Diabetes

Many families in South and West Fresno do not have access to healthcare.

Hospital visits, treatments and medication become a luxury that they cannot afford, causing many to not seek medical attention at all.

And the problems aren’t limited to 93706… ..it’s spreading. We have factories within walking distance from schools. Carcasses are being dropped on the street by trucks coming and going from the rendering plants and aren’t being picked up. Tires are burning for weeks.

Why don’t we put the plant in that area? Isn’t that where we put them anyway?

Rosa attends a city council meeting where they will vote on where the new distribution center will be located. Factories, plants and distribution centers have been dumped in South and West Fresno for so long that even council members assume that that’s where they belong.

While Fresno is still thriving as a farming community, much of its land has been diminished by urban sprawl. The expansion of North Fresno has caused many family-owned businesses to shut down.

Ernesto, who owned a small boutique with his late wife, had to close down shop because they were losing more money than they were making.

In order to provide and make a living, Ernesto has to take a 45-60 minute bus ride to North Fresno where he works at a 24-hour diner.

In the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, the fight to end racial segregation in terms of housing was significant, especially in Fresno. So much so, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a march in Fresno in June 1964 denouncing racial segregation. At its time, it became the biggest civil rights march in the San Joaquin Valley.

In 1968, the Fair Housing Act was passed. The act sought to protect people who were looking to buy or rent a home from landlord discrimination. It became unlawful to refuse to sell or rent a place because of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

With the continued expansion of North Fresno, families who could afford to move out of South and West Fresno were moving out, taking their businesses with them. Buildings were becoming vacant and desolate.

After the Vietnam War, the City of Fresno saw a massive increase in the Hmong population over the next decade.

In 1977, there was one Hmong family living in Fresno. By 1984, the Hmong community had grown to about 10,000.

After the war, the communist party was in line to take over the government of Laos. To avoid persecution from the new government, the Hmong fled the mountainous regions of Southern China, Laos, Thailand, Burma and Vietnam. Many resettled in the United States, a majority coming to the Central Valley.

In Fresno, the Hmong refugees stayed where housing was available. With North Fresno growing, most of the population settled in South and West Fresno.

Many Hmong found themselves wanting to pursue agriculture, but the lack of resources, agri-business skills and being foreign to the English language pushed many out of this dream.

Drugs and gang activity have always had a presence in the city, but it wasn’t until the 80s that their presence became more prominent.

Drugs found a way in from all directions, especially Los Angeles. With drugs came gangs and dealers, settling in South and West Fresno due to cheaper living situations. It was easy to fall into a life of gangs and drugs, but many residents of South and West Fresno didn’t want to get involved. Some residents who could afford to leave the comfort of their own homes and away from the violence did, but many were stuck. Being a drug-riddled part of the city, there was little investment coming in.

If you drive down Blackstone Avenue, it is clear how much of a role urban sprawl had in shaping Fresno into what it is today. Driving south on Blackstone, you begin to see more and more liquor stores, PayDay loans and bailbonds on every corner.

As the city grows, more businesses are opening and expanding into North Fresno, but the city fails to use the spaces already built in South Fresno. In the last 15 years, only ONE grocery store has opened in South Fresno, while grocery stores in North Fresno are moving locations to have bigger parking lots.

I was looking for a house and the agent told me to look south of Herndon. But when he learned that I was a professor, his demeanor changed and he showed me the house that I live in now.

As Fresno continued to grow into the city it is today, the problems it had in its past grew with it and are still prevalent today.

It’s not enough that North Fresno gets all the funds, but now they’re trying to gentrify downtown Fresno which can essentially displace a lot of people.

I live in South Fresno and go to Fresno State. Depending if the buses arrive on time or not, it can take up to an hour to get to school.

I remember there was a time when women that lived at a trailer park in Calwa started to develop breast cancer. We found out the ground had been contaminated previously and there was a correlation that the two were connected.

My kidneys were failing and I needed a new one. A 14-year-old boy was shot and killed as retaliation. I got his kidney.

But with a new generation on the rise, it’s exposing something that Fresno hasn’t seen on such a large scale. There is a movement happening in Fresno. Its residents want to make it a better place to live — for themselves, their parents, their children, their grandchildren and for future generations. Organizations are fighting back, doing whatever they can to help the cause.

Hi, I’m Mario.

And I’m Neng, and we’re members of Fresno Boys and Men of Color.

Fresno Boys and Men of Color is a community of young leaders who heal, advocate and serve to make Fresno a healthy home for all.

One way we do this is through the #parks4all campaign with Fresno Building Healthy Communities.

There is a direct correlation between a person’s health and having access to parks.

By having parks in our neighborhoods, there is a greater opportunity for physical activity.

Which can mean a lifestyle with reduced stress, obesity and lower risks of heart disease and diabetes.

But in South Fresno, there is only 1.02 Acres for every 1,000 residents. That’s a low number.

And the parks we do have, they’re not the cleanest, the greenest or the safest.

With the #parks4all campaign, we’re hoping to change that.

With the campaign, we’re trying to get the city to keep their promise and update the parks master plan. The City of Fresno needs more parks and park maintenance, and we can’t do that with an outdated plan.

We also have community action days where we clean up parks and recreation spaces. At Romain Park in Central Fresno, we built a garden bed for the community to enjoy.

And with the creative input of the young people of Fresno, Romain Park has a skate park specifically tailored for them. We’re still a long way from accomplishing all our goals with the campaign, but we’re definitely on the right track.

And that’s not all we’re doing. Fresno Boys and Men of Color, with other organizations across the city, envision a better Fresno for all. No one should have to fight to survive.

So, we’re working to advocate for common causes whether it’s access to more parks, access to healthcare, or affordable housing, immigration, deportation, a sanctuary city, police brutality,

...or coming together for a global march.

Hi, I’m Lisa. I’m Rosa. Who are you marching for?

For my daughters. What about you?

My son, Mario. For your daughters. For equality.

You too. Bye.

But at the end of every march, rally and forum, we go back to our own homes, our lives shaped by policies and history.

A change is happening, and the people of Fresno are fighting for our city to become a community for ALL. We have a long way to go, but folks are organizing to make Fresno the home we all know it can be.

Discussion Questions

1. Which issue presented in the comic do you think had the biggest impact in shaping Fresno to what it is today? Why?

2. How does Fresno’s history affect its residents today?

3. Are the issues still present in Fresno today? Why or why not?

4. How have you and your family been affected by Fresno’s history?

5. Who do you identify with in the comic and why?

6. What was the most shocking or interesting part of the comic to you and why?

7. What was the significance of Rosa and Lisa going their separate ways at the end of the comic?

8. What is one thing you would change about Fresno to make it a healthier place?

9. How does the legacy of redlining impact Fresno today?

10. What aspects of Rosa and Lisa’s community are healthy? Unhealthy?

11. What would your feelings of Fresno be if you were in Rosa’s shoes? Lisa’s?

12. What are some positive changes in Fresno that you can be involved with?