Mitford Biography Recalls Richmond's Civil Rights Battles

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A new biography of civil rights activist Jessica Mitford sheds light on her involvement in defending a Black family from a racist mob in 1950s Richmond, California. The book, "Troublemaker" by Carla Kaplan, recounts how Mitford and fellow Communist Party member Buddy Green rallied community members to physically protect the home of the Gary family after they moved into a previously all-white neighborhood. The book also highlights Mitford's broader legacy of muckraking journalism and activism on issues like prison reform and the funeral industry.

Why it matters

The story of the Gary family's struggle to integrate their Richmond neighborhood in the 1950s serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing fight for civil rights, even decades after landmark legislation like the Fair Housing Act. Mitford's activism in this case, and her broader career as a muckraker and advocate, demonstrate the importance of grassroots organizing and solidarity across racial and class lines in confronting systemic discrimination.

The details

In 1952, the Gary family, a Black Navy veteran and his wife with seven children, tried to move into a previously all-white subdivision in Richmond called Rollingwood. They were met with a menacing mob of hundreds of white men and teenagers who gathered outside their new home, hurling insults and throwing rocks. Mitford and Green, along with other Bay Area progressives, rushed to the scene to form a "human chain" around the house to protect the family. They also organized trade union resolutions demanding police protection and distributed leaflets throughout the region.

• On March 7, 1952, the mob gathered outside the Gary family's new home.
• In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Richmond Housing Authority was issuing eviction notices to non-white public housing tenants and demolishing their apartment buildings.