Back in my day... we were all equal, at least in theory. Since our country's founding, we have always thought of ourselves as the land of freedom and opportunity. And it was back then, if you were white, owned property, and were Christian. Slowly, these barriers have been relaxed, and we continue to make process.
But in 1949, Jim Crow segregation was still the rule in much of the South, and even in areas traditionally thought of as liberal. Los Angeles, like many cities, had strict zoning laws that permitted home ownership to whites only in certain parts of the city. At least a third of the public pools in the South were willed in, rather than opening them to everyone. There was an incident in Las Vegas where Sammy Davis, Jr. was not allowed to use the pool in the hotel where he was headlining. Frank Sinatra used his considerable influence to allow Sammy to swim, then the management immediately drained and refilled the pool.
In my childhood, we rarely encountered non-whites in our everyday lives, aside from the trash collectors and the occasional appearance by Aunt Jemima in the grocery store. My parents were educated and progressive, there was no demeaning speech allowed. It didn't seem like anything planned, it was just the way it was. Media was quite segregated too; the mainstream radio stations played mundane pop stuff, rarely by Black artists, except once in a while "safe" performers like Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole (who had to fight like hell to get any airplay) were played.
As a child, it was difficult to reconcile what we were told in school about our rights with what we saw with our eyes. Older relatives would say things like they were all for civil rights, but it had to happen slowly, not all at once. Huh? Racial epitaphs and jokes were common, even at occasions like Bpy Scout meetings. Racial stereotypes were routinely used in advertising (Frito Bandito, Chung King frozen food). Shorthand for "Mexican" was guy sitting next to a cactus, sombrero pulled down over their eyes.
Culture suffered. Most popular music in this country and many musical styles came from Black culture. Little Richard should have made a fortune with songs like Tutti Frutti, but the recording promoted by the industry was by Pat Boone. I remember seeing James Brown in 1967 (incredible show), but couldn't buy tickets at Tower or Breuners; I had to go to a Black-owned music store in Oak Park.
This strange world is difficult for young people to imagine today, but that was reality. Of course things are much better now, but it is still a struggle. Nad now we are faced with powerful politicians who would like us to return to a homogenous white "Christian Democracy." That's now how progress works.