Palo Alto Gardens Improvement Association Meeting Creates Gentleman's Agreement
Outright s
egregation had shown up in Palo Alto in the 1920s when the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce introduced a resolution calling for a "segregated district of the Oriental and colored people of the city." The measure was supported by The Palo Alto Times, The American Legion, The Carpenter's Union and The Sons of the Golden West, but it did not pass.
However, in 1954, when a black man, William A Bailey, purchased a home in an all white area of Palo Alto, a more discreet segregation was created. 125 people showed up November 29 at the Palo Alto Gardens Improvement Association concerned about Bailey entering the neighborhood and their property values declining.
William Diebel, the Association’s President wanted Bailey accepted, but was pushed out. A
“Gentleman’s Agreement” was formed.
This “Gentleman’s Agreement” was that all new owners to Palo Alto Gardens would be approved by current owners. Larry Bailey, William's son, describes this agreement as
"not against the law at the time, but that there was a Gentleman's Agreement between the White residents to let this so-called Board review whoever was purchasing a home to see if they were acceptable candidates to join the community, if they were acceptable as far as race, I presume. That's typically what those unwritten agreements are."
The neighbors pooled $3,750 to offer Bailey as incentive to leave Palo Alto Gardens. With the NAACP’s help, he refused.
"Covenants" like this immediately cropped up all over the Mid-Peninsula.
For more information about how East Palo Alto and Belle Haven became segregated neighborhoods, review the Exhibits from the testimony submitted to the Office of Civil Rights in 1960 which I have included in the photo carousel on the home page.
Bowling, Matt. “Housing Discrimination: A Closed Door in Palo Alto.” PaloAltoHistory.org http://www.paloaltohistory.org/discrimination-in-palo-alto.php
Cutler, Kim-Mai. East of Palo Alto’s Eden: Race and the Formation of Silicon Valley. 2015.
https://techcrunch.com/2015/01/10/east-of-palo-altos-eden/
Fogarty, Michaela and Rebitzer, Maya. Bailey's Integration Story. KPLY Paly Radio. 2017. https://soundcloud.com/palyradio/untitled
San Mateo County Historical Association. City of East Palo Alto Historic Resources Inventory Report. Alan Michelson and Katherine Solomonson Survey Coordinators. Feb 1994. Page 71.
http://www.ci.east-palo-alto.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/829
Image: United States Commission on Civil Rights. Testimony to US Commission on Civil Rights, 1960 Hearings Los Angeles & San Francisco - Accessed through University of Michigan Libraries collection. Google Books. January 27 & Jan 28 1960