Yesterday I gave a talk at the Finnish Hall in Berkeley as part of our celebration for Finnish Independence Day. The transcript is below. I was very pleased that it was well-received,
Hyvaa Suomi! As you all probably know Finland has been consistently ranked as the happiest country in the world. I’m assuming that Finns everywhere including you here today are happy. Raise a hand if you’re happy. Okay great, we’ll see how many of you are still happy after sitting through my speech. I’m not suggesting my talk is boring but you might want to have another cup of coffee before I start.
Two Finns having a fist fight right in the middle of a Berkeley restaurant? Surely such a thing never happened. Well, it almost did on a November night in 1920. Antti Malinen and Reijo Pirjo were Finns who’d migrated to Berkeley at the beginning of the 20th century. Antti was 46 and Reijo 52. They were respected members of the Finnish community and were acquaintances. The two happened to be seated at nearby tables for a Saturday night dinner in a Berkeley eatery, both with their families. Apparently Antti overheard Reijo say that Finns should align themselves with Lenin and the Bolsheviks who were now in power in the new Soviet Union. Antti interjected his thoughts saying that Lenin and his kind were full of what Finns call paska. The two rose from their chairs and continued to debate the topic. Tempers flared. One of them, it’s not clear who, started to throw a punch but was restrained. “Alä tapele pojat,” someone is reported to have shouted. Ultimately both had to be held back. A passing policeman was called to the scene. He issued firm warnings that any further disturbance would lead to their arrest and they could continue their fight in a jail cell. The two calmed down, shook hands and resumed their meals keeping their voices low. Thus ended the Battle of Berkeley, the lone recorded instance of anything approaching violence between Red Finns and White Finns in this fair city. As we will see conflict continued for many more years but this was a cold war not a hot one.
But first let’s go back further in time.
Finns in the U.S. were identified for the first time in the 1900 census, which counted about 63,000 persons born in Finland.
A considerable majority of early Finnish immigrants tended towards the radical left in politics, many immediately became involved in labor unions and local politics. By 1913 there were 260 Finnish chapters of the socialist party in America with 13,847 members.
Finns were treated far better than most immigrants, particularly people of color and non-Christians, the instances of discrimination against Finns tended to be because of Finns’ left-leaning politics. In 1918 Olli Kinkkonen a Finnish immigrant in Minnesota was tarred, feathered and lynched for renouncing his newly-gained U.S. citizenship which he did to avoid fighting in World War I, a war that he did not believe in. This was at the height of what little anti-Finnish sentiment that there ever was in the U.S. and it was mostly exclusive to the Midwest.
The Bay Area was one of several spots in the United States to which Finns emigrated.
In the late 1800s some of San Francisco’s Finns moved across the bay to Berkeley. Perhaps it was due to the fact that Berkeley was growing and workers were needed — especially in construction, which Finns excelled in. Because of its proximity to the bay, Finns settled in what was then called Ocean View now more familiarly known as WB. Once the seeds were planted a community was established here that attracted still more Finns. This community grew significantly as a result of the 1906 earthquake. The fires from that quake were particularly devastating to the neighborhood near the Embarcadero where a lot of Finns lived. So among those dispossessed by the quake were a significant number of Finns who in turn moved to Berkeley.
The first time Finns appeared on Berkeley’s voter registration roles in 1894 when there were seven. By 1900 there were 86 Finns listed on the census and that figured more than doubled after the Earthquake. By 1910 Berkeley had the third largest population of Finns in California trailing only SF and Eureka.
Soon West Berkeley, came to be known by locals as “Finntown.” Finntown was centered around the intersection of University and San Pablo Avenues with residents living on both sides of San Pablo. Some Finns lived further east just below and above Sacramento Avenue, as did my grandparents who lived on Sacramento between Rose and Cedar.
Finntown encompassed several Lutheran churches, saloons, cooperative grocery stores, and the the first Finnish Hall on 10th and Bristol Streets, which was built by the Finnish Comrades Association in 1909. Among the Association’s founders was Walter Mork, one of the Finns who moved to Berkeley after the earthquake. He went on to serve as a Berkeley city councilman, essentially representing Finntown, for 26 years. You heard from his grandson Fred earlier today.
Political organizations used the hall, particularly socialist ones. Berkeley elected a socialist mayor, J. Stitt Wilson, in 1911. He held both a pre-election rally and post-election celebration in the 10th street Hall both of which drew approximately 800 people. The hall was soon not only being utilized by Finns but being rented to various local groups just as this Finn Hall is today. It gained particular notoriety for hosting political rallies and meetings, mostly for the left.
Meanwhile Berkeley Lodge 21 was founded by nine men on May 14, 1911 as a mutual aid society for its members. In those days, lodges existed throughout California and to the north into Canada, to help Finns start their new lives in America and enjoy the community of fellow Finns. A women’s lodge was founded two years later, with the two lodges merging to form lodge 21 in 1915, as its name suggests, the 21st lodge to join this umbrella organization, it soon became the second largest. Of course the lodge was headquartered and held its events in the Hall on 10th street.
As a mutual benefit society, the Lodge provided sickness and burial benefits for its members, helped them find jobs, homes, get insurance policies and improve their English. But it had an equally if not more important role in the social and cultural life of Finns. Activities included stage plays, concerts, dances, an orchestra, choruses, a lending library and movies. Many friendships were made through lodge activities and the lodge served as a Tinder of its time for single Finns.
There was also a Finnish band of about 25 players. They performed at a variety of events throughout Berkeley though, being known as the Socialist Party Band, their primary focus was playing at political rallies and events. They gave open air concerts throughout the summer in the teens and twenties.
Through the first half of the 20th century, Finns were visible at a variety of city events including July 4th picnic and parades where they had a float along with flag bearers carrying the Finnish and US flags and the band performing. Finnish women’s groups also contributed to war efforts for both world wars by raising money for the red cross through coffee and cake sales, rummage sales and the like, women also knitted socks and sweaters for soldiers. Needless to say Berkeley Finns raised funds in various ways to support their countrymen during and after the Winter War and the continuation war that followed.
The Russian Revolution and the rise of Bolshevism in 1917 caused a major split among leftists worldwide — including Finnish immigrants and as earlier suggested even those right here in Berkeley. When the Czar was overthrown and executed, Finland technically became independent from Russia. Lenin allowed this independence, likely believing that Finnish Bolsheviks would soon seize power. To make a long story short, he was wrong.
Finnish socialists in the United States were likewise divided: moderate democratic socialists remained loyal to the Socialist Party, while radical leftists and communists broke away to join or support the Communist Party USA.
The radical elements retained control of the Finnish Hall on tenth street.
Because of the rift the Lodge had started holding more and more of their events at other venues besides the Hall. Eventually this led to the construction of a new Finnish Brotherhood Hall. This one where we gather today. Toveri Tupa began being referred to as the Red Finn Hall.
The cornerstone of this Finnish Hall here at 1970 Chestnut Street was laid on October 9, 1932, on land donated by the afore-mentioned Walter Mork. The building of the hall was commissioned by Lodge 21 as its meeting, cultural and recreational facility. Construction was completed by the end of 1932, mostly by the labor of its members, including, I’m proud to say, my grandfather. The hall’s grand opening was marked by a three-day festival on Dec. 30 and 31 and Jan 1, 1933. The festivities included an inaugural program, an all-night New Year’s Eve dance organized by its younger members, and a stage play on New Year’s Day.
Lodge 21 attached itself to the new Finnish Hall which immediately drew most of the traffic that had been going to the older hall. In its 1934 constitution the lodge specified in article 2 section 3 that “this association shall be impartial and shall not take up for discussion any question of political, partisan or religious nature.” In other words politics were out. Meanwhile the “red hall” still concerned itself with political issues however while it was the site of many events and to be a going concern for decades more, it began to host less and less activity and it’s membership and influence dwindled.
When I was growing up in the 50s and 60s — that’s the NINETEEN 50s and 60s —there were very few socialist or communist Finns in the area — it was, after all, the height of the Cold War — and Finns had moved from socialism closer to the mainstream of American politics, it seemed the entire Finnish American community was solidly Democrat. I remember my father’s contempt for the one Finn he knew of who voted Republican. As for what was not known as the Red Hall, well it was not spoken of in my family for many Berkeley Finns it was a taboo subject.
If you lived in Berkeley in the first seventy years of the last century you almost certainly knew a Finn, if not several. It never struck anyone as unusual to meet a first or second generation Finn in Berkeley. We were everywhere though especially in the construction business, like my grandfather, dad, brother and uncle. If you went by a construction site in Berkeley chances were there was a Finn working there if not a whole crew of them. Finns were also ubiquitous at the Berkeley wharf, often taking off for or returning from a fishing trip or just hanging out seeing how the fishing had been that day.
Skimming through Berkeley High or any of the junior high yearbooks from the ‘20s through ‘60s you’ll find anywhere from a handful to a dozen Finnish last names. Searching through the Berkeley Gazette one is constantly coming across references to Finnish activities at the Hall or individual Finns involved in schools, sports or businesses often doing volunteer work. Finns were a positive influence in Berkeley given their willingness and desire to help out with everything from school functions to scout troops to sports teams. Meanwhile prominent Finns who visited the Bay Area whether performers, diplomats, professors, athletes or politicians usually came through Berkeley to speak at the Finnish Hall. As recently as the early 1970s the great Finnish track star Lasse Viren who won Olympic gold in the 5000 and 10000 meter runs in the ’72 and ’76 games, was feted at the Hall.
By the mid forties the concentration of Finns around San Pablo had dissipated. The moves to other areas began just before the second world war. Anyway Finns could now be found all over Berkeley and increasingly in Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond parts of Oakland and even the other side of the tunnel.
By the late 1960s Finntown was already becoming a memory. Finns had moved to the suburbs and assimilated and Finnish immigration to the United States had all but stopped. Today if you meet a Finn in Berkeley he or she is likely a visiting professor at Cal or someone in the tech industry on a trip combining business with pleasure.
Lodge 21 is no more though we do have the Finnish Heritage Society and it’s Cultural Committee. The continuing celebrations of Finland such as today’s and Vappu at the Finnish Hall show that the legacy of Berkeley’s Finntown lives on. Bay Area Finns owe a great debt to those early Finnish pioneers. The Finns who came to Berkeley gave each other support and succor, maintained their culture and left a legacy — including this hall — that we Finns are rightly proud of. We can also be proud of the contributions our forebears made to the growth of Berkeley. As a Berkeley Finn I’m proud of Finland and its current standing in the world and its continually being named the world’s happiest country and I’m proud of this city and, despite it’s problems and struggles, what it has and continues to stand for and that Finns have played a part in it.
You may be wondering if Antti and Reijo ever patched things up. History is silent on this. I like to think that in the spirit of Finnish Brotherhood they did and maybe even became friends.
Kiitos ja hyvää itsenäisyyspäivää. And power to the people!
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