Hey Reverend Andy, thank you so much for this response (and for reading my article)! I think you've made a great point. I briefly mention that this sort of legislation happened all across California, but I should have probably made it clearer that it happened in Stockton as well. Actually, the fact racially restrictive covenants were used in Stockton probably helps to drive my point home even further! Stockton's black community was able to gain significant footing, even despite the legislation in place. Interestingly, my great-grandfather was the president of Stockton's NAACP branch in the 50s, and he helped to organize a bus boycott against the city lines.

Thank you for the piece of info about black shipyard workers - you're absolutely right. I'm sure that that also played a major role in how Stockton and Modesto's black populations played out.