December 13, 2018 

LAWT News Service 

 

The first renderings were released today for Destination Crenshaw, a 1.3-mile-long outdoor art and culture experience celebrating Black Los Angeles under development along Crenshaw Boulevard. Spearheaded by L.A. City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson, this community-inspired project will use the iconic street as a canvas and anchor for public art and streetscape design. With designs by Perkins+Will, the visionary architectural firm behind the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History, Destination Crenshaw will celebrate the historic and contemporary contributions of Black L.A. to the city and the world. The project begins construction in early 2019 with plans to open in Spring 2020.

 

Renderings revealed Saturday at an event for community leaders show a new community amphitheater with an elevated overlook with views of the downtown skyline, the Hollywood sign, and the entire Destination Crenshaw project. The renderings also show off a potential treatment of the world famous “Crenshaw Wall,” also called “Our Mighty Contribution.” The Wall, a major component of Destination Crenshaw, will also be opposite one of the 11 new pocket parks and parklets built to house hundreds of art opportunities. Landscaping along the boulevard by Studio MLA will include hundreds of new trees and additional streetscaping. Unlike traditional museums, Destination Crenshaw won’t be bound by walls or ceilings. The open-air, public art and cultural experience will feature architectural designs that capture the innovative and trailblazing spirit of Black L.A.

 

“Destination Crenshaw is a historic project for Los Angeles and the world,” said Councilmember Harris-Dawson. “The stamp we will make on Crenshaw Boulevard with more than 100 unique art installations, a dozen African American­-themed pocket parks, and culturally-minded street and landscaping improvements will be a living reflection of Black L.A. and the creativity that pours out of our community.”

 

Located along Crenshaw Boulevard from 48th to 60th Streets, this linear outdoor museum will flank the new Crenshaw/Los Angeles Airport (LAX) Metro Rail Line. This section is the only segment of the line on Crenshaw Blvd.—and one of the only major corridors in L.A. County—where the train is at-grade versus under or above ground. As one of the first stations upon leaving LAX, the Hyde Park stop and the at-grade length of the line will have clear views of Destination Crenshaw and will serve as the gateway to the City of Los Angeles for riders from across the globe.

 

“Destination Crenshaw is first and foremost a celebration of the creativity of the African American community in Los Angeles,” said Zena Howard, the project’s lead architect from Perkins+Will. “Everything that we build is simply a backdrop to the innovative, artistic spirit that is alive and thriving here.”

 

The designs for Destination Crenshaw are pulled together through Grow Where You’re Planted—a unifying theme inspired by the African giant star grass. Used by slavers as bedding in ships, the grass thrives in alien lands despite inhospitable conditions. Today, it remains a profoundly resonant reminder of African American history, the paths of global dispersion, and black resilience in the face of violence and racism. Like the giant star grass, the Black L.A. community has deep roots that sprouted through the surface and spread across the globe. Despite years of disinvestment, Black Angelenos have been able to create a strong, interconnected, and thriving community, deeply rooted in the Crenshaw District and South L.A. This history and resiliency will be reflected in all aspects of Destination Crenshaw.

 

The Crenshaw District boasts some of today’s most acclaimed Black artists and has been central to the thriving Black L.A. art scene for decades. A first open call for artists was launched in summer 2018 and hundreds of applications were received from local artists for large and small-scale works to be commissioned along the boulevard. A second open call and selections for commissions will be announced in 2019.

 

Destination Crenshaw has been working for the last two years with major figures in the Black L.A. community to ensure that community voices are incorporated into the project. Project team members include Larry Earl, owner of 1619 Exhibits and former executive director at the Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum and the Houston Museum of African American Culture; actress, writer, director, and producer Issa Rae; the internationally-renowned artist, gardener, and community activist Ron Finley; deputy director and chief curator of the California African American Museum, Naima Keith; and one of the West Coast’s most innovative hip-hop entrepreneurs Nipsey Hussle. Other women and minority-owned firms Destination Crenshaw is working with include Studio MLA, AMPR Group, RAW International, Bridge Street, Terry A. Hayes and Associates, and Artemis Events Company. See a full list of team members here.

 

A major public kickoff for Destination Crenshaw will be held on February 8, 2019. Stay up to date with the project by signing up for the email list at www.destinationcrenshaw.la.

December 06, 2018 

By Lauren Floyd 

Contributing Writer 

 

Thanks to Hyundai and Taste of Soul 2018, Kyle-Kyson Clark is one step closer to becoming the “modern day Dr. Seuss.” The 26-year-old Florida native and children’s book author is the 2018 winner of the 2nd annual Hyundai and Taste of Soul giveaway. Clark was selected out of over 100 video submissions. The requirement was a short video clip of contestants telling Hyundai how they make LA a better place.

 

Clark makes LA better each day through his work in childhood development and education. With his brand-new Hyundai Kona, Clark can feel confident in his new ride, adding miles not only to his odometer, but to his journey towards actualizing his dreams.

 

In a city like LA with its non-stop traffic and sometimes faulty public transportation, a chance to win a new car can sound too good to be true. Clark who is a self-proclaimed foodie first stumbled upon the contest while looking up some info on the Taste of Soul website.

 

“Of course, I was like, people don’t really win those contests so, I scrolled past it,” says Clark.

 

But after telling his mom about it, she convinced him to enter.

 

“She was like, ‘you better apply for that car!’” says Clark of his mom, a retired Miami deputy sheriff. She was the first person he called when he found out that he won.

 

“She went silent for at least ten seconds,” says Clark who is known to be a jokester amongst his family. “She was like, ‘stop playing with me!’ and then she started yelling.” Clark laughed as he recalled that moment with his mom who has been his biggest support since childhood, raising him and his brother as a single mom.

 

For Clark, the journey to this point has been an uphill path towards his passion of reading for children. As a young boy who struggled deeply with a speech impediment, he might have never thought he’d see his name printed on the cover of a book.

 

“Growing up was pretty rough for me,” says Clark. “I spent most of my childhood not speaking because I suffered from a bad case of stuttering and that prevented me from being able to communicate efficiently.  I was embarrassed to speak because I couldn’t have words come out of my mouth.”

 

It wasn’t until his later years of high school that Clark decided to challenge himself and work on his speech.

 

“In high school, there’s a big pressure on you about what you’re going to do after school and what you’re going to major in, and I really wanted to challenge myself,” says Clark.

 

Before he graduated, he watched YouTube videos and did extensive research on how he could improve his stutter. After an entire childhood of working with speech therapists and getting pulled from class for extra help, Clark was ready to move on in life and overcome the embarrassment and frustration that can come with having a stutter. He crammed all summer after graduation, and with the help of his speech classes, he mastered the tools necessary to beat his stutter.

 

“I ended up picking broadcast journalism as my major because I just wanted to tackle this ‘weakness’ that I felt I had,” says Clark.

 

Clark, who was born and raised in Miramar, Florida, attended Florida A&M University (FAMU) and as a journalism major, developed goals of anchoring and reporting on screen. He interned with news stations, wrote for the newspaper, and hosted a radio show at FAMU. Clark also dabbled in acting and participated in stage plays, web series and student films on campus. After graduation, he moved to Miami, hoping to stay on-screen and start his professional career.

 

“I was thinking, I’m about to be one of the hottest radio personalities in Miami, Florida and life was like — Are you kidding me bro?” says Clark about his rough start in Miami, one the top 20 news markets in the U.S.

 

Clark couldn’t find work as a reporter. Feeling down on life and struggling with finances, he took up a job as a kindergarten teaching assistant, just to keep money in his pocket.

 

This is where his path towards becoming a children’s author unfolded.

 

“I literally fell in love with it,” says Clark. “At the end of the school year the principal told me that I did such a great job with the kids that she offered me a job as a first-grade teacher.”

 

After getting certified, and getting started in the classroom, Clark found a true passion for teaching. Yet, in the spirit of his on-screen aspirations, he still pursued acting part-time and began booking commercials and national ads.

 

“One day I was like, I love what I do, but I really feel like there’s more to life than me coming to work every day inside a classroom. I know I can touch these children’s lives, but I also know I can touch even more lives.”

 

“Back on my first day as a teacher, at an inner-city school — I’m not over-exaggerating — on the first day of school, only one kid out of 26 kids knew how to read,” says Clark. “In that same moment, that’s when I was like, okay, I really want to do something about this.”

 

At the end of the school year, Clark resigned and decided to move to LA with his earnings from commercials. A random job search landed him in a position to become a child behavior therapist, working one-on-one with children that are autistic and have special needs. 

 

It was one particularly difficult classroom situation Clark witnessed that influenced his book.

 

“It was probably one of the most uncomfortable classrooms I’ve ever had to sit in. I just wrote my book in the back of the classroom.”

 

Clark felt the kids in the classroom weren’t receiving the proper motivation and he saw how much they gravitated towards his instruction and interaction.

 

“Anyone who works with kids knows you have to praise kids, you have to make them feel good. It is your job to educate, but it’s also your job to motivate as well,” Clark says.

 

“I wrote the book for kids but I also wrote the book coming from a place where I felt uncomfortable and unappreciated. I knew there was more.” Clark finished his book last year and has been sharing it with friends, family and kids around Los Angeles ever since.

 

Clark’s book, titled “Yes! You Will Be Great!” is a rhythmic and inspirational read that even teens and adults can relate to.

 

The colorful book, illustrated by Gerrell M. Brown, is reminiscent of the Dr. Seuss best-seller “Oh the Places You’ll Go!” — a classic children’s book that resonates the ultimate message of following your dreams and never giving up in the midst of hardships along the journey.

 

“That book was probably one of my biggest inspirations, when it came to writing my book,” he says.

 

Clark is already receiving good feedback from his supporters. He plans to officially release the book this month.

 

For Clark, winning the new Hyundai will help him upgrade his twenty-year-old, two-door Firebird that is in bad condition. He says his car makes it hard to be a mentor and work with kids.

 

“Parents have to feel that their children will be safe in the car I pull up in,” says Clark.

 

Bakewell Media’s Taste of Soul will join Hyundai at the LA Auto Show this week to hand over the keys to Kyle Clark’s brand-new 2018 Kona.

 

“I feel like I’m dreaming still,” he says.

 

Down the line, Clark wants to animate a children’s series and do voice acting for his characters. “I really want to use my voice that I didn’t get a chance to when I was a child,” he says. “In the future, I see myself as the modern-day Dr. Seuss.”

November 29, 2018  

City News Service 

 

A half-cent sales tax passed by Los Angeles County voters nearly two years ago to fund homeless programs has been a significant success, some government leaders said today as they urged the public to volunteer for the upcoming homeless count.

 

“Thanks to Measure H, we have collectively housed almost 10,000 men, women and children – and that’s just over the last 15 months,” Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said. “There’s more work ahead of us but this is tangible progress and a sign that we should redouble our efforts. As we head into the season of giving, let us roll up our sleeves, open our hearts and extend our hands to help our unhoused neighbors.”

 

Ridley-Thomas discussed Mea­sure H at a news conference at the El Segundo Boulevard Apartments, a new affordable housing apartment building in the Harbor Gateway neighborhood, with Supervisor Janice Hahn, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilman Joe Buscaino.

 

“Nearly two years ago, we made a bold promise to voters: that with Measure H funding we would be able to help lift 45,000 out of homelessness in five years,” Hahn said. “Today, we are well on our way to delivering on that promise.”

 

The officials said Measure H has resulted in 9,635 homeless men, women and children placed into permanent housing, and 18,714 people placed into crisis, bridge and interim housing.

 

“Homelessness is the most pressing issue facing L.A. today – and we can only end it if everyone steps up and works together,” Garcetti said. “We have made encouraging progress in this fight over the last year. But the work is far from over, and we must keep pushing forward. That’s why it is so important to sign up and volunteer for the 2019 count.”

 

The count conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority in January helps determine how many homeless people may be living on the streets. Last year, around 8,500 people volunteered, and the count concluded that homelessness had fallen for the first time in years, decreasing by 4 percent to 53,195.

 

“Every year, Los Angeles County residents by the thousands spend a couple of January nights walking the streets where too many of our homeless neighbors live,” said Peter Lynn, executive director of LAHSA. “These efforts help us recognize the scale of our crisis and the specifics of our fellow Angelenos’ lives.”