Learn

Explore the histories behind our immersive migration experiences in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Go deeper with first-person interviews, archival sources and critical research. Come to your own judgement about the complex history – and continuing controversies – that make up California's migration story.

These pages are designed for everyone with an interest in California history. Lesson plans for educators are also included and are designed for high school history and social studies common core standards.

Go Deeper: from Adobe Ruins to Police Raids

La Placita has always been at the heart of Los Angeles politics. Learn more about the immigrant communities that grew up around the plaza, Christine Sterling's controversial legacy as the "Mother of Olvera Street," and the causes and consequences of the infamous 1931 La Placita immigration raid.

Downtown LA
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Articles

Go Deeper: from Nihonmachi to the 'Mo

Discover the connections between Japanese Americans and Black migration to the Fillmore in the 1940s. Learn why Japanese Americans were unjustly incarcerated during World War II, and explore the cultural legacy of thousands of Black Americans who made San Francisco their home.

SF Japantown
6
Articles

Go Deeper: from Dive Bars to Rainbow Flags

Dive into the history of queer culture in San Francisco, a city with a reputation for rule-breaking. Learn how the queer community fought back against social stigma, anti-LGBTQ legislation, and police harassment; and how Harvey Milk's Castro neighborhood became a frontline in the battle between conservative and progressive forces in the 1970s.

SF Castro
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Articles

Go Deeper: from Coffee Port to Sanctuary City

Learn how the Mission District evolved into the Latino barrio and sactuary it is today. Explore the deep connections between El Salvador and San Francisco's coffee industries, and discover why tens of thousands of Salvadoran refugees came to the neighborhood after civil war erupted in 1979.

SF Mission
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Articles

Go Deeper: from Gam Saan to Chinese Beautiful

Discover how the first Chinese arrived in San Francisco during the Gold Rush. Learn more about Look Tin Eli's remarkable life as an early Chinese American and how the destruction of City birth records in the 1906 earthquake created a loophole that allowed many new Chinese immigrants to arrive as “Paper Sons.”

SF Chinatown
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Articles