Susie Ling was born in Taiwan and raised in the Philippines. She is Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies at Pasadena City College. Susie has been exploring the ethnic history of the San Gabriel Valley for years. She spoke about the history of African Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans in Monrovia. African American, John Fisher, came to California in 1875 and there have been seven generations of Fishers in Monrovia. John was a blacksmith in Missouri who came to the attention of E. J. “Lucky” Baldwin. Baldwin saw a winner in John and hired him for life. Lucky Baldwin sent his trusted blacksmith, John Fisher, to recruit a group of African American artisans from the Carolinas. This was the beginning of the African American migration to Southern California. John Fisher’s son, Julian, was the first African American to graduate from Monrovia, Arcadia, Duarte (MAD) High School in 1914. In the years that followed both Latino and Asian Americans migrated to Monrovia, many living in small homes in the southern part of the city. As Susie Ling said, “ We are always indebted to those who came before us, and are responsible for those who will come after us.”