Mtn. Review Special Edition Late Summer 2020 | Page 3

African American history all the way back to the era of Spanish exploration and settlement to the present through historical images. Retro M V MVHA’s Online Clothing Shop Now Open! Looking to add some hometown pride to your wardrobe? Then check out the MVHA’s online clothing shop where we’re selling designs inspired by local history! All proceeds go to supporting the MVHA and our mission to preserve and share Mountain View’s history. Visit the shop at: teespring.com/stores/retromv Financial Report By Emily Ramos MVHA Treasurer Checking Account Balance as of 1/24/2020: $22,645.86 • Income: $527.56 • Expenses: $783.13 Checking Account Balance as of 6/10/2020: $22,224.24 Certificates of Deposit Balance as of 1/24/2020: $60,321.66 Certificates of Deposit Balance as of 6/10/2020: $60,434.11 Black History in MV By Nick Perry MVHA President The protests and movement sparked by the killing of George Floyd have compelled me to learn more about Black history in the Santa Clara Valley. Mountain View is my hometown, and my family is made up of the many ethnic groups that are deeply rooted in the city (Mexican, Portuguese, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, and more). Although the current waves of gentrification are threatening it, the city has long taken pride in its diversity. But Mountain View’s African American population has historically been small and the history of the community is not well-chronicled. In an effort to learn more, I recently read the book African Americans of San Jose and Santa Clara County, written in 2019 by Jan Batiste Adkins. I highly encourage others interested in the local history of the Black community to pick up a copy of this book. It does a great job tracing The book does not directly address any individuals or places linked to Mountain View, focusing primarily on historically Black communities rooted in Palo Alto and San Jose. But after reading it, I was spurred to uncover whatever history I could on Mountain View’s early African American families. Some initial census research I did online shows only two Black households in Mountain View’s 1920 census, two in the 1930 census, and four in the 1940 census. I’ve yet to research subsequent census years. World War II draft cards indicate six Black men who listed Mountain View as their home address. Mountain View High School yearbooks feature Black Student Union groups starting in the 1970s and continuing off and on into the present (see example on page 11). Once the Mountain View History Center archives reopen, I hope these initial leads help uncover more information about the Black individuals and families that have called Mountain View home over the decades. If you have personal connections to Black history in Mountain View, please reach out. Your stories, photos, and memories can help our archives better reflect the full diversity of Mountain View. Email us at: [email protected] Huff School Renaming By Candace Bowers MVHA Past President The MVHA has been contacted by multiple members of the Huff Elementary School community about efforts to rename the school. Huff Elementary School opened in 1958 and is named after Frank L. Huff. According to newspaper accounts from the period, Mountain View School District campuses at the time were named after “pioneer citizens, retired school teachers and outstanding residents who have contributed to the advancement of education in Mountain View.” Frank L. Huff was born in 1867 at his family’s ranch on Charleston Road in what is now the North Bayshore district of Mountain View. He grew up to be both an orchardist and educator and served for many years as the principal of the grammar schools of Mountain View, thus meeting the school district’s mid-century requirements for school naming. However, there is growing concern that Huff’s personal contribution to Mountain View history is tarnished by racist and nativist views. A circa 1922 biography of Huff written in Eugene T. Sawyer’s History of Santa Clara County, California, notes that Huff “is strongly opposed to the immigration into our country of people who are out of harmony with American institutions and ideals, particularly those of such blood as cannot be assimilated by the Caucasian race to its benefit.” To read Huff’s full biography online, visit: www.mariposaresearch.net/santaclararesearch/SCBIOS/flhuff. html. I have combed through our archives to determine if there’s any additional information on Huff that can shed further light on this troubling history. But so far, nothing more has been uncovered. The MVHA has also offered our assistance to the Huff Elementary School community in further historical research that may yield potential names of other local historical figures for a school name. 3