World War II Homefront Era: 1940s: War Vets Protest Housing Shortages
An interracial group of World War II veterans in front of the Oakland Tribune, protesting Senator Knowland's refusal to back low-income housing in the Oakland Hills. 1946. Photographer unknown. Gelatin silver print. Collection of Oakland Museum of California. The Oakland Tribune Collection. Gift of ANG Newspapers.
In this 1946 photograph, an interracial group of World War II veterans protests the shortage of housing in Oakland. More pointedly, members of the ILWU, a very forward-thinking West Coast dockworkers union, point out the need for government-subsidized housing. This provides an interesting clue to California's racial prejudices in the postwar era.