Series:

"Where Do We Go from Here?" Histories of Long-term Black Business Ownership, Community, and Family in Los Angeles County

Topic:

Business

African American History

Biographical Note:

Owner of Coleman Construction in Los Angeles, California.

Interviewer:

Hester, Yolanda

Interviewee:

Coleman, Sharon

Persons Present:

Coleman and Hester.

Place Conducted:

Sharon Coleman’s office at Coleman Construction.

Supporting Documents:

Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library’s Center for Oral History Research.

Interviewer Background and Preparation:

The interview was conducted by Yolanda Hester, UCLA Center for Oral History Research; M.A., African American studies, UCLA.Hester prepared for the interview in this series by looking at a number of books and articles that examined Black business ownership in a historical context, as well as articles that examined it from a social science perspective and looked at current socioeconomic debates and findings. In addition, for the Coleman interview, she read articles on South Los Angeles and development; trade publications, such as research presented at the Associated Schools of Construction conference; and a number of newspaper and journal articles tracking women and minorities in the construction business and initiatives to recruit a more diverse work force, including a National Women’s Law Center report on women in construction.

Processing of Interview:

The interviewer prepared a timed log of the audio recording of the interview. Coleman was given the opportunity to review the log in order to supply missing or misspelled names and to verify the accuracy of the content but made no changes.

Length:

3 hrs.

Language:

English

Copyright:

Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.

Audio:

Series Statement:

This series documents long-term and multigenerational business ownership in the black community through oral history interviews with owners of businesses located in Los Angeles County. The title is inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr.'s last book, Where Do We Go From Here? Chaos or Community, which focused on economic issues, including issues related to black-owned businesses.Businesses were chosen to participate in the series based on two criteria: that the business had been in operation for at least twenty-five years and that it was currently active at the time of the interview. An effort was also made to ensure that the businesses selected represented a variety of sizes and industries. They range from small, local businesses with only a couple of employees to enterprises that have a regional and even national reach, and the industries represented include construction, real estate, insurance, communications, dry cleaning, restaurants and catering, mortuaries, barbershops, and stove repair. Due to limited resources and time constraints, the interviews focused primarily on businesses in the Pasadena area and in South Los Angeles, with selected businesses in Hollywood, Gardena, and downtown Los Angeles as well. South Los Angeles remains one of the most important centers of Black economic activity in the region, and the Pasadena area has historically been a final stop for many Blacks who migrated to Southern California. It is also important to note that although the series focused mostly on these two areas, the reach and customer base of these businesses span well beyond their local communities.The first section of each oral history covers the individual’s family and migration history. The second and third sections then examine each business from two perspectives: (1) the day-to-day functioning of the business, i.e., staffing, profit and losses, marketing, etc., and (2) broader businesses strategies, including responses to policy changes, technological development, demographic shifts, and changes in the economy. For reasons that included scheduling, health, and capacity issues, some of the business owners who were invited to be interviewed declined. Those businesses included Eso Won Books, Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles, Pete’s Foods Products, Winmax Construction Corporation, Beauchamp Distributing Company, and Gallery Plus.The UCLA Center for Oral History Research has also created a website that offers more context about black businesses in Los Angeles and includes numerous audio clips from this interview series. See https://www.library.ucla.edu/community-commerce-oral-histories-african-american-businesses-los-angeles

Note:

The photo was taken by Stefan Studer.

Birth and early childhood in Brooklyn, New York—Family background—Moves to Los Angeles—Growing up in South Los Angeles—Attending Los Angeles Southwest College—First job in construction—Meeting her husband--Getting life-changing advice—Employment path—Starting Coleman Construction—Attends the Business Entrepreneurial Network Program at the University of Southern California—Early days in business—Being a woman in the construction business—Discrimination in construction—Demographic changes in construction—A government contract—Economic downturn—Proposition 209 (1996) prohibits considering race in public employment, contracting, and education—Criteria for “disadvantaged business” identification.

A typical day in the construction business—Competition in bidding—Projects—Unions and the construction business—Labor issues—Declining numbers of African Americans in the business—Impact of gentrification—Policy and workers’ compensation—The National Association of Minority Contractors—Succession and grooming her children—Advice to young entrepreneurs.