What California's Racist History Can Teach Us
Today, as in the past, California sees itself seen as a beacon of hope, as the last Promised Land in the United States. That’s how it’s been since 1849, when the world rushed in for gold. The state’s rulers welcomed the so-called Argonauts, as well as subsequent generations of other Americans: Midwesterners lured by our warm climate, suburbanites who bought up tract housing and joined the defense industry, sports franchises who wanted to leave the cold East, tech giants in Silicon Valley, and others.