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One of the early churches in the historic North Fontana community, the church was first founded as First Baptist Church of North Fontana on May 13, 1949. It was one of the centers of community life in the thriving North Fontana community as the community grew in the 1950s and 1960s and fought for civil rights. When Pastor Chuck Singleton was serving as pastor in 1981, he led the church to embrace a new name and to become Loveland. Inspired by the faithful nucleus of First Baptist members who followed their Pastor’s vision, Loveland opened its doors for the first time in the spring of 1981. More than 500 believers gathered to worship at the beautiful new facility constructed at the corner of Sierra and Baseline Avenues in Fontana, CA. -
The Riverside Chapter of the NAACP officially chartered on September 26, 1942, with Oscar Stratton serving as the founder and first president. A year earlier, in 1941, in a softball game between Black and White soldiers, a fight ensued, causing racial tension. As stated by Mr. Stratton, Black residents in Riverside prior to the softball game incident did not “feel a pressing need for any organization on its behalf. This was probably because Black people in Riverside ‘enjoyed’ the subtle practice of a type of benign neglect and De Facto segregation” (NAACP Riverside website). Riverside's Black residents were able to experience advancements such as semi-segregated schools, businesses, and home ownership, although this was limited to Eastside Riverside. For 80 years, the Riverside NAACP has continued its fight for equal employment, housing, and education. -
W.S. Johnson, a longtime civil rights leader in San Bernardino, assisted with the establishment of the San Bernardino Chapter of the NAACP. Additional founders of the San Bernardino NAACP include Ralph Johnson, Johnson Mason, and Thomas G. Hamilton. An early meeting took place in April 1919, with 57 members joining. On March 11, 1920, the San Bernardino NAACP chapter received its official charter and hosted an inaugural event at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church. At the time of the official charter, 248 members joined the San Bernardino chapter. Today, the San Bernardino NAACP remains committed to helping the local community flourish. -
The Swan’s Club has hosted debutante balls and scholarship fundraisers for generations of Black youth in the Inland Empire. Founded in 1960, the Swans Club continues the long standing tradition of Black women’s club organizations which have built communities of support for generations of young people in the region. -
Court Street USO was founded in 1942 in downtown San Bernardino, CA. As the number of Black servicemen stationed at the nearby bustling air force base grew, the exclusion of Black airmen from the segregated white USO (and in some local businesses downtown) became an increasingly visible problem. The Court Street USO at 663 Court Street became an important social space for Black servicemen and the growing Black community, serving as a space for political action and civil rights during and after World War II. -
The Akoma Unity Center was founded in 2016 by City Councilmember Kimberly Calvin and Dr. Nana Lawson Bush. The center strives to heal, educate, and transform the Westside community by providing programs for youth and families. Through the use of an African-centered framework this organization works to cultivate healthy families and organize people for racial and climate justice as well as economic empowerment. -
The St. Paul African Methodist Church (A.M.E.) is the earliest Black church founded in San Bernardino, CA. The church was founded by Mary and Henry Inghram (parents of future trailblazers Howard and Dorothy) in the heart of the growing Black community on the westside. As the congregation grew, St. Paul A.M.E. moved to their second location in San Bernardino (near 6th & Harris St). In 1928, presidential political rallies were hosted by the Black women of the church supporting Herbert Hoover. The NAACP and Central Council met in the church in the 1940s, while members and Reverend Jesse L. Boyd were key advocates urging the city council to pass San Bernardino’s first anti-discrimination law in 1943. -
New Hope Baptist Church is one of the first black churches in San Bernardino, CA. It was organized in 1911 by founding families including Mary & Wainwright Mucklroy, Rowena Anderson, Randall Anderson, Mattie Andrews and Lonnie Dent. The sanctuary here at 7th and Harris was constructed in 1914 with a loan from Mr. Johnson Mason. Early pastors included Minister Hart, F.W. Cooper (who also pastored at Second Baptist churches in Redlands and Riverside), and Pastor Oscar Hall . -
Wilmer Amina Carter first came to San Bernardino, CA in 1952 from Neshoba County, Mississippi. Carter worked at California State University, San Bernardino in the Educational Opportunity Program office and later in the president’s office, served as a staff member for Congressman George Brown, was the first Black member of the Rialto School Board, and was elected to the California State Assembly in 2006. Carter was married to Ratibu Jacocks for 34 years before his passing in 2015, and together, they co-founded the "Bridges that Carried Us Over Project" to document the Black experience and history in the Inland Empire. -
Clyde Alexander was a pioneering Black contractors in the Inland Empire and one of the first black carpenters in the union alongside Norm Wilson. -
Carolyn Jordan Daniels was born and raised in San Bernardino, CA. She has been a community builder all of her life, from her work with the San Bernardino Black Athletes Hall of Fame to her leadership in New Hope Missionary Baptist Church and her work to document the church’s history. -
Sam Martin founded three of the Inland Empire's Black newspapers including the "San Bernardino American News" on May 8, 1969.