California Story Fund
An Ethnic Mosaic of a Minority-Majority City:
Seaside Stories
City of SeasideSeaside
Project Director: Carol McKibben
Capturing the diverse voices of Seaside
This project documenedt the history of Seaside, a diverse city of 30,000 people on the Monterrey Peninsula, by collecting stories from members of the community’s principal ethnic groups.
Project Director Carol McKibben said, “This project, was the first to document the history of Seaside. It is a collective story about how a city has struggled with its diversity and succeeded in breaking down ethnic barriers.”
Those interviewed included ordinary residents as well as civic and political leaders, including Jerry Smith, the African American mayor from 1998 to 2005 and the current mayor Ralph Rubio, of Mexican American descent. “Their insights are invaluable because they both have deep roots in the community and because they are leading a multi-ethnic political coalition,” McKibben said.
A series of events took place to showcase the project as part of city’s Seaside History Month in June 2007. The stories were also be featured at a number of other events in the city leading up to the June celebration. A formal celebration of the project and the various groups and individuals involved was held on the lawn of City Hall at the end of July.