This website is the foundation of the Southern California Library's initiative to promote the Los Angeles legacy of Charlotta Bass and the California Eagle. Mrs. Bass and the paper represent an important part of Los Angeles, African American, and civil rights history that is in danger of virtually disappearing. Our goal is for her courageous role and that of the Eagle in fighting for equal rights for all (decades before the civil rights movement of the 1960s) to become widely known in Los Angeles and beyond. In particular, we hope the legacy of Bass and the Eagle will be brought into a much greater place of prominence in the teaching and learning of history in schools.

This effort is part of the Library's ongoing mission to engage people of all generations in using history to advance social justice. Ultimately, we believe that this website can become a valuable tool in inspiring people to become this century's historymakers, as Charlotta Bass was in the last, working to create a more just and equitable Los Angeles.

This website devoted to Charlotta Bass and the California Eagle was created with the generous support of the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation. Content for the Charlotta Bass story was provided by Regina Freer, professor, Occidental College, and writer Marti Tippens, author of "Talking Back: How Publisher and Activist Charlotta Bass Challenged Inequality Through the California Eagle," her master's thesis (Mass Communications, California State University Northridge, 2001). Both are writing biographies of Charlotta Bass. Any inadvertent fact discrepancies are the sole responsibility of the Southern California Library and do not reflect on the expertise of these contributors. Michele Welsing, the Library's Communications Director, created this website. Website design by Yoshida Design www.yoshidaweb.com.

This site consists of HTML web pages, along with PDF files and low-resolution images that may be downloaded.

To look at the PDF files, you will need the Acrobat Reader. The Reader is free and easy to download if you don't already have it. To download a PDF file to your machine, right click the link and select "Save As." On a Mac, hold down the mouse and select "Save As."

If you are interested in getting higher resolution copies of the images, please contact us at the Library, and we can provide more information about that.

If you are having trouble finding things on the site, the site map may be able to help you. If you are still having trouble, feel free to contact us with questions.

This site also contains links to other sites, especially on our bibliography/links page. If you come across terms or historical events, people, or organizations you aren't familiar with, these links may be helpful in providing background information. However, please note that the Southern California Library has no control over these other sites and isn't responsible for them. Links are provided for informational purposes only and aren't intended as an endorsement.

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