The Warmth of Other Suns: Part Four: Los Angeles Summary & Analysis

Dr. Beck’s life trajectory is a reminder that Black people chose to leave the South for diverse reasons, at all stages of their lives and careers. Beck shared a formative childhood experience with Ida Mae: both watched their fathers die because medical attention wasn’t available to them in the segregated South. Fortunately, Beck had the resources to help fight this problem and dedicated his life to it, like Robert’s brother Madison. Meanwhile, the Becks’ experience moving to a white neighborhood was depressingly typical in the mid-20th century. In fact, the federal government legally mandated that mortgages be restricted to all-white neighborhoods and whites-only clauses be put in property deeds. This meant that the government systematically funneled capital toward white neighborhoods and away from Black ones, while many white homeowners learned to expect financial disaster when Black neighbors moved in. These policies are the foundation of the close link between race, home values, and residential segregations that still shapes American cities today.

Northeastern and Midwestern cities received most of their immigrants from Europe, so the racial hierarchy was familiar to Black newcomers: native-born white people were above white immigrants, who were above Black people, who took the worst available jobs. But California’s unique, less consistent ethnic mix meant that Black migrants didn’t reliably end up in the same jobs—even though they did reliably face discrimination.