Oral History Interview: Pioneer Memory Days Early Black History in Bakersfield Ralph Anthony interviewed by Ralph Jester

Abstract

Ralph Anthony moved to Bakersfield, California in 1948. Anthony was one of fourteen children whose father was the pastor and founder of St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church in Bakersfield. Anthony became the director of the Friendship House in Bakersfield in 1971. Anthony describes what life was like for the early African-American community in Bakersfield. He retells stories heard from early pioneers about the first migration of freed slaves into Kern County for use in the fields, and goes on to describe the employment opportunities and limitations that many of these early settlers came up against. Anthony details his own experiences growing up and working in Kern County, as well as the services of the Friendship House that were designed to improve the lives of the black community members as they struggled to live and work in poor and often discriminatory conditions.