Carol Lynn McKibben Racial Beachhead Book sku-16658519

Carol Lynn McKibben's Racial Beachhead: Diversity and Democracy in a Military Town is a hardcover Military History Books item, sku-16658519. The book traces Seaside, California, alongside Fort Ord, which was established there in 1917.

The base became a launching point for World War II operations, the first military base to undergo complete integration and a major West Coast training base for Vietnam War draftees. It was also a site of civil rights movements before closing in the 1990s.

The book describes how middle-class Black residents and other military families, including Black, white, Hispanic and Asian families, built a local politics of inclusion. It places Seaside's experience within the history of American towns and minority-majority cities.