History and Hope: A conversation with Seaside's John Nash

Nash grew up in the segregated south and has lived in Seaside for 66 years

Updated: 4:52 PM PST Feb 5, 2021

John Nash grew up in the segregated south before he moved to Seaside, California, where he's lived for more than six decades. KSBW 8's Alani Letang sat down with Nash to talk about his history and his hope for Black equality in the future. In addition, Nash talked about finding hope in the new Biden-Harris administration, while also putting importance on Black History education and Black equality for the future. The conversation also touched on points of strong Black leadership, Nash specifically highlighting Stacey Abrams in the work she's done with elections in Georgia.John Nash is an 88-year-old man who has lived in Seaside for 66 years."So, Mr. Nash, you are from North Carolina," asked KSBW's Alani Letang. "It's Pelham, North Carolina, it's a farm town. And what we did back there, my parents was a sharecropper, you know what a sharecropper is?" asked Nash. "We raised tobacco. What happened, we didn't own the land, somebody else on the land. And we supplied labor to, you know, to do the tobacco farming. So most of us, all of us really, when we got old enough, we moved away and I went to go into the army. They drafted me. I was drafted in 1952, November the fifth. I'll never forget it. 1952." "It really wasn't that bad because it was a lot of soldiers here and the school wasn't segregated here," Nash said. Letang said, "You look back into history, you've grown up in the 30s, 40s and 50s up until you moved here. And you take a look at segregation, you take a look at the racism that I feel still like this here. I know the history back then, but you lived it. And to me, it doesn't seem that things are very far off from what they are. I still feel that the systemic racism is deeply rooted in that. As a black man, as black people. What do you think we stand now?""Well, we just had a vice president elected for the highest office in the country," Nash started off saying. "We can't sit back and wait. Somebody do it for us. We've got to do it like Abrams did that in Georgia. We got to get out and push. And I think we wouldn't be pushing hard enough because we get little. We got too comfortable. We get a little ways and we get comfortable. OK," Nash said. "And I see that a lot, too, when I see all the protests across the country. I see them right here in our Seaside backyard," Letang added. "And just knowing that we haven't arrived yet. Right. I mean, I don't think we've arrived yet to the point where we can say we are the majority and we're listened to or even the minority and we listen."Nash said, "You just don't suppose to just let it happen, you supposed to fight about it. You got to fight for it. It shouldn't have to, you know, it's America. You supposed everybody's supposed to be, you know, the creed that everybody should be treated alike. But it's not happening. Martin Luther King did a wonderful job. You know, that was in the 60s. For it to come, fifty years later, come back like that, it's awful." "You're taking a step back, not a step forward," Letang noted. Speaking from experience, "There's not a week, or even a month, can pass when I'm not getting an email about my hair, about something else that's discriminating against me," Letang said. "And so I think that when you know, when I still look at from the past and look at now again, I just don't feel that way or that far off. And I always question myself, where do we get to the point where we can scrub that prejudice thought and get to the point where we can understand people, we can love people.""I think we've got to be educated," Nash answered. "It's really going to take time. And just like I said, we need to be educated. And, you know, I was in the army. I retired from the Army. And I learned stuff that I didn't know was happening. They had black soldiers training the people at West Point, how to ride and shoot. I didn't know that until, I don't know when," Nash said. The veteran added, "That wasn't in the history book that I read. That's another thing. A lot of stuff was left out when I was going to school too. It was left out the history books." "It's still left out," Letang responded. Nash said, "Well, yeah, I think I'll think about Biden and Kamala are going to do a lot, a good job." "We need hope and hope in this country," Letang said. "Well, they need help, too, you know, they can't do it alone," Nash said.Alani profiled Mr. Nash's Seaside community back in September, click here.And you can read more about it here: blackpast.org/african-american-history/race-and-color-california-coastal-community-seaside-story/

John Nash grew up in the segregated south before he moved to Seaside, California, where he's lived for more than six decades.

KSBW 8's Alani Letang sat down with Nash to talk about his history and his hope for Black equality in the future. In addition, Nash talked about finding hope in the new Biden-Harris administration, while also putting importance on Black History education and Black equality for the future. The conversation also touched on points of strong Black leadership, Nash specifically highlighting Stacey Abrams in the work she's done with elections in Georgia.

John Nash is an 88-year-old man who has lived in Seaside for 66 years.

"So, Mr. Nash, you are from North Carolina," asked KSBW's Alani Letang.

"It's Pelham, North Carolina, it's a farm town. And what we did back there, my parents was a sharecropper, you know what a sharecropper is?" asked Nash. "We raised tobacco. What happened, we didn't own the land, somebody else on the land. And we supplied labor to, you know, to do the tobacco farming. So most of us, all of us really, when we got old enough, we moved away and I went to go into the army. They drafted me. I was drafted in 1952, November the fifth. I'll never forget it. 1952."

"It really wasn't that bad [in Seaside] because it was a lot of soldiers here and the school wasn't segregated here," Nash said.

Letang said, "You look back into history, you've grown up in the 30s, 40s and 50s up until you moved here. And you take a look at segregation, you take a look at the racism that I feel still like this here. I know the history back then, but you lived it. And to me, it doesn't seem that things are very far off from what they are. I still feel that the systemic racism is deeply rooted in that. As a black man, as black people. What do you think we stand now?"

"Well, we just had a vice president elected for the highest office in the country," Nash started off saying. "We can't sit back and wait. Somebody do it for us. We've got to do it like Abrams did that in Georgia. We got to get out and push. And I think we wouldn't be pushing hard enough because we get little. We got too comfortable. We get a little ways and we get comfortable. OK," Nash said.

"And I see that a lot, too, when I see all the protests across the country. I see them right here in our Seaside backyard," Letang added. "And just knowing that we haven't arrived yet. Right. I mean, I don't think we've arrived yet to the point where we can say we are the majority and we're listened to or even the minority and we listen."

Nash said, "You just don't suppose to just let it happen, you supposed to fight about it. You got to fight for it. It shouldn't have to, you know, it's America. You supposed everybody's supposed to be, you know, the creed that everybody should be treated alike. But it's not happening. Martin Luther King did a wonderful job. You know, that was in the 60s. For it to come, fifty years later, come back like that, it's awful."

"You're taking a step back, not a step forward," Letang noted. Speaking from experience, "There's not a week, or even a month, can pass when I'm not getting an email about my hair, about something else that's discriminating against me," Letang said. "And so I think that when you know, when I still look at from the past and look at now again, I just don't feel that way or that far off. And I always question myself, where do we get to the point where we can scrub that prejudice thought and get to the point where we can understand people, we can love people."

"I think we've got to be educated," Nash answered. "It's really going to take time. And just like I said, we need to be educated. And, you know, I was in the army. I retired from the Army. And I learned stuff that I didn't know was happening. They had black soldiers training the people at West Point, how to ride and shoot. I didn't know that until, I don't know when," Nash said.

The veteran added, "That wasn't in the history book that I read. That's another thing. A lot of stuff was left out when I was going to school too. It was left out the history books."

"It's still left out," Letang responded.

Nash said, "Well, yeah, I think I'll think about Biden and Kamala are going to do a lot, a good job."

"We need hope and hope in this country," Letang said.

"Well, they need help, too, you know, they can't do it alone," Nash said.

Alani profiled Mr. Nash's Seaside community back in September, click here.

And you can read more about it here: blackpast.org/african-american-history/race-and-color-california-coastal-community-seaside-story/

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History and Hope: A conversation with Seaside's John Nash - KSBW Monterey