The 1960s were a decade of upheaval in African American history — starting with the assassination of Medgar Evers, then the Watts Riot, Muhammad Ali’s resistance to the Vietnam War, Tommie Smith and John Carlos protests at the Olympic Games and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. After the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, the African American community had something to celebrate — but not necessarily a space to celebrate it.

Most media — local and national — were not spotlighting all of the positive contributions of African Americans.

So, in June 1969, six young friends in Fresno came together and founded Grapevine Magazine as a place for local African Americans to highlight their achievements and share their views in Central California. None of the founders had any experience in journalism or in the publishing business, but they saw a need and had a mission to fulfill it. It was the first state-wide African American magazine founded and published in California.

From 1969 to 1982, Grapevine Magazine highlighted hundreds of stories about African Americans in the fields of medicine, history, civil rights, education, religion, government, law, politics, business, sports and entertainment. Full of photographs, editorials and original art, the magazine’s run is a snapshot of African American life and style in the Valley’s pivotal post-civil rights era.

In honor of Black History Month, the Henry Madden Library at Fresno State presents “Grapevine Magazine: African Americans in Central California, 1969 – 1982,” an exhibition featuring the media of Grapevine Magazine. The free, public exhibition opened Feb. 3 and will run through March 30 at the Pete P. Peters Ellipse Balcony on the third floor of the Madden Library. A public reception will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20.

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