Form and Power: Black Murals in Los Angeles

The Negro in California History - Settlement and Development

Hale Woodruff’s The Negro in California History - Settlement and Development is located in the lobby of the Golden State Mutual building. It was placed opposite Charles Alston’s The Negro in California History - Exploration and Colonization. Together, this grouping depicts African American life in California in the centuries leading up to the mid 1900s. Specifically, Woodruff’s mural illustrates the African American labor force that was instrumental in the modernization of California, which the artist depicts through scenes showing Black laborers working in gold mines, building the Golden Gate Bridge, and putting up signs demanding equality among races.

Woodruff has said that the racism and poverty he witnessed during the Great Depression inspired him to address these subjects in The Negro in California History. To this end, the mural’s placement is also significant. At the time of its creation, Golden State Mutual Life Insurance was the largest Black-owned company in the west. Many African Americans were denied insurance due to existing stereotypes and discrimination, but Golden State Mutual Life Insurance was able to rectify this wrong. This building was designed and constructed by African American architects, and the murals inside were painted by African American artists - just one of the countless ways African Americans have helped the modernization of California.

Written by Thomas Bulow, c/o ‘24

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