Palm Springs Black History Tour 2/17/25

This tour will introduce you to Black pioneers of our city whose talents and perseverance overcame the prejudices of earlier times. 

You will see the works of renowned architect Paul R. Williams. 

Learn about land developer and city planner Lawrence Crossley who came here in the 1920s and who reshaped our landscape. We will visit the Crossley Corners trailer park and the neighborhood that now bears his name. 

The tour will continue to Desert Highland Gateway Estates — Palm Springs’ largest predominantly blackneighborhood — where community activists and athletes of worldwide repute have all lived. We will see several Faith Based Institutions. 

The Tour will end at the James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, the centerpiece of the Desert Highland Gateway Estates Community, and the social, cultural, and recreational hub of the Palm Springs area.