Attendees review a historical timeline of housing history in Mountain View , prepared by Stanford University in partnership with the MVHA .
MV ’ s Housing History
REVELATIONS & REFLECTIONS
By IdaRose Sylvester
Membership Committee Chair
The MVHA , in partnership with the Mountain View Human Relations Commission and Stanford University , were honored to host Understanding the History of Housing in Mountain View : Stories of Racism , Anti-Discrimination , and Movement Towards Inclusion , on July 26 to a sold out crowd . Over 110 community members participated in the multimedia event and discussion , and MVHA members facilitated most of the discussion .
We are honored to take part in this , because recent history has a real impact on our current environment and our policies . It is very easy to forget specifics like zoning changes made 50 years ago , or how activists pushed forward policies in the 1980s that made our community more welcoming to this day . Leaning on oral histories and secondary research focused on the 1920s through today , we demonstrated how fairly recent history impacts all of us . Today is tomorrow ’ s history , and it was powerful to remind everyone of that — and their role in that history .
The event covered a wide range of topics , from racial inclusion throughout Mountain View ’ s history , to demographic changes , to policies , and controversies , that made Mountain View both more and less inclusive throughout time . Mountain View has a long history of racial and ethnic inclusion , yet racial covenants prohibiting people of color can still be found in deeds , and land use policy over the years has often harmed people of color disproportionately . One of the most powerful parts of the event , however , were the stories told by people , spanning over 60 years , up until the present day , sharing stories of discrimination , exclusion , and sometimes , of inclusion . This powerful , personal history brought additional gravitas to the presentation .
MVHA President Pamela Baird facilitates a small group discussion at the event .
For those who question why we study and record stories about diversity , this quote from one of the people interviewed for the project stands out :
“ We need to have a Mountain View population that ’ s diverse , not only diverse from a race perspective , but diverse occupationally , that can support a community , have self sufficiency , a community that doesn ’ t have to import thousands of people or export them daily . That would be a community that has a sense of unity , and identity , and care , and courage .”
The fact that studying history helped people feel a sense of unity and identity at this event is success to us .
For a copy and a recording of the presentation , an easy to read copy of the “ history walk ” timeline that spanned the room , oral history quotes , and more ( with more added soon , such as the oral history transcripts ), please visit :
www . mountainview . gov / depts / manager / history _ of _ housing
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