A People’s History of SFO: The Making of the Bay Area and an Airport.
We often experience airports as alienating “nonplaces” where we rush to make connections and spend long, monotonous hours waiting for delayed flights. But airports are also fascinating sites that can tell us a lot about the places where they are situated. In this talk, Dr. Eric Porter will share thoughts about San Francisco International Airport (SFO) as a site whose history reveals important perspectives on a wide range of phenomena (social, environmental, political, and so on) that have helped to shape the Bay Area. Along the way he will read excerpts from his 2023 book, A People’s History of SFO: The Making of the Bay Area and an Airport.
Dr. Eric Porter teaches in the History Department at UC Santa Cruz. He writes about African American, music, urban, and, most recently, aviation history.
Next on the Docket
Saturday, May 30th, 2026: Fashion Show- a vintage fashion show highlighting clothes from the San Mateo County Historical Association’s Millie Collection featuring outfits from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Previously on the Courthouse Docket
On February 21, 2026, Dr. Frank Omowale Satterwhite and Juanita Croft shared their memories and perspectives of the Nairobi Movement in East Palo Alto and Belle Haven, Menlo Park. The Nairobi Movement was a time when Black folks in San Mateo County sought to take control of local government, civic life, and education. The presentation was part of the San Mateo County History Museum’s Courthouse Docket series.
If you have questions about previous Courthouse Dockets, please email education@historysmc.org.
The Courthouse Docket is a series of presentations held in the History Museum’s Historic Courtroom A. The Courthouse Docket Series is sponsored by Cypress Lawn Heritage Foundation.
