Inside the Vault: Black Land Ownership and the American Dream in the Jim Crow Era
Our children are entitled to a place in the great open spaces where they can play and have fun unrestricted by race prejudice and oppression.
—Sidney P. Dones, founder of Eureka Villa
In the 1920s, businessman Sidney P. Dones traveled to Black organization meetings across the country to promote his Eureka Villa real estate project in southern California. He promised not only sunshine and a sublime landscape but also a dream of community, agency, and leisure for Black families facing racism and discrimination under Jim Crow.
Join us on March 6, 2025, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT) when our curators discuss a 1926 pamphlet advertising homes in Eureka Villa, California, to Black families with historian Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson.
Submit your questions for Dr. Jefferson here.
Featured Documents
Related Resources
- Essay: “Jim Crow and the Great Migration” by Jonathan Holloway
- Timeline: “Fulfilling America’s Founding Principles: African American History”
- Video: “Jim Crow and the Fight for American Citizenship” by Jonathan Holloway
- Video: “The History of Race Relations in America: African American Experiences, 1878–Present” by the Gilder Lehrman Institute
I cannot attend the live program. Will it be recorded?
Yes! The program is recorded and sent in an email the following day to everyone who registers.
Future Programs
Inside the Vault, American 250 Edition: Shots Heard Around the World: Firsthand Accounts of the Battles of Lexington & Concord
Join us on April 3, 2025, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT) when our curators discuss the first major battles of the American Revolution with independent historian Dr. Brooke Barbier.
About Inside the Vault
Inside the Vault: Highlights from the Gilder Lehrman Collection is an online program that highlights unique primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman Collection. From iconic historical treasures, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Emancipation Proclamation, to personal letters that reveal the contributions of ordinary American citizens, each session will investigate primary sources and discuss their background, impact, and potential use in the classroom.