Proposition 2000: Debating California’s Sesquicentennial

C a l i f o r n i a d r e a m i n g 173 Sm it h in T w ilig h t . Lo s A n g e le s h a s b e e n t h e sit e o f t h e 2 m a jo r u r b an u p r isin gs o f t h e la st 4 0 y e ar s— it is t h e r e t h a t w h at K o lo d n y c alls a fr o n t ie r m o st d r a m a t ic a lly c o lla p se s in t o a r io t . Sm it h c h o o se s n o t t o ju d ge t h is e v e n t b u t t o su m m o n it s p a r t ic ip a n t s a n d t o le t t h e m sp e ak . T h e K o r e a n sh o p k e e p e r , t h e b la c k gan gle ad e r , t h e p o lic e ch ie f, a n d t h e b lin d L a t in o e a c h ge t a m o n o lo gu e , b u t t h e y c a n n o t h e a r e a c h o t h er . O n ly a m e m b e r o f t h e a u d ie n c e h e ar s all o f Sm it h ’s a sse m b le d v o ic e s, a n d it is in t h a t list e n e r ’s m in d t h a t c o n n e c t io n s ge t m ad e , t h a t a r a p p r o c h e m e n t c a n b e im agin e d . It is a p r o fo u n d m o d e l o f h o w t o list e n , n o t o n ly t o t h e v o ic e s o f C a lifo r n ia , b u t t o t h e v o ic e s o f t h e W est . D av id W y att h as w r itten 2 b o ok s ab o u t C alifo r n ia, T h e F all in t o E d e n : L a n d sc ap e an d I m ag in at io n in C alif o r n ia (C am b r id ge 19 86) an d Fiv e F ir e s: R ac e , C a t ast r o p h e , an d th e S h ap in g o f C alif o r n i a (A d d iso n - W esle y 1997 an d O xfo r d 1 9 9 9 ). Bo r n in Lyn w ood , C alifo r n ia, in 1948, W yatt is n ow a P rofessor o f En glish at th e U n iv e r sit y o f M ar ylan d . P r o p o s it io n 2 0 0 0 : D e b a t in g C a l if o r n ia ’s S e s q u ic e n t e n n ia l B l a k e A l l m e n d in g e r T h in k in g a b...