Landmarks help people identify their familiar surroundings and gravitate toward a sense of pride for their neighborhood. The Black community in South Los Angeles has a number of places that give them a sense of belonging. The following locations evoke strong ties within the community.
Vision Theatre
When the Vision Theatre initially opened its doors in early 1931, this magnificent building with an Art Deco design was called Leimert Theatre. It's situated close to Leimert Park's focal point.
The towering steel frame that bears the name of the theater is the building's distinguishing feature, in addition to its exquisite external detailing. That steel center piece originally read "Leimert Theatre" rather than the current "Vision Theatre," back in the 1930s.
Actress Marla Gibbs bought the facility in 1990 and changed its name to the Vision Theatre with the intention of showcasing Black art there. In 1997, Gibbs' property went into foreclosure. The City of Los Angeles acquired it and turned it into a performing arts complex. In February, the news of its restoration was acknowledged.
In 2021, former Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas announced that the Vision Theatre and Manchester Junior Arts Center in Leimert Park would become the top arts venue in South Los Angeles. At the time, they were looking to hire individuals to work as theatre managers, operators, and programmers.
Over the past 90 years, the theater has seen an array of ownership changes. Most notably, it served for almost 20 years as a Jehovah Witness Watchtower Assembly Hall.
Ted Walkins Park
Ted Watkins Memorial Park is immensely noteworthy and located in the center of South Los Angeles. In 1995, the 28-acre grassland was named for Ted Watkins, a business and community activist who founded the Watts Labor Community Action Committee.
The Promenade of Prominence Walk of Fame, which honors the accomplishments of local leaders, is also located at Ted Watkins Memorial Park.
For many years, sports like baseball, flag football, basketball, and soccer were held at the park. Additionally, it has a skate park, jogging route, workout stations, and farmer's market.
Watts Towers
The Watts Towers are almost 100 feet tall.
They are situated next to the Watts Towers Arts Center in a huge park. Although the towers' interiors are now being renovated, visitors can still enjoy the structures from behind the gates. The towers can be spotted on the covers of records by Tyrese, Don Cherry, and Harold Land.
The Watts Towers evolved into a source of respect during the daily bustle of the city. The towers escaped damage when the Watts Riots in 1965 devastated most of the neighborhood. South Los Angeles' Watts Towers are regarded as one of the most significant works of art in the city.
L.A.'s redevelopment initiatives gave the Towers an unprecedented amount of prominence, which led to campaigns to renovate the cultural institution to meet the neighborhood's general requirements. Community members consider the Watts Towers a testament to the area's resiliency and promise.
Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center
One of the 11 service centers operated by the Los Angeles Unified School District's Division of Adult and Career Education is the Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center.
Adult secondary education, basic academia, career driven knowledge and citizenship have been the focus of the facility offerings since 1966.
In August of 2021, Congresswoman Maxine Waters joined Speaker of House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi at this facility to discuss the advancement of the Child Tax Credit.
Watts Labor Community Action Center
The Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC) is a charitable organization and neighborhood-based provider of societal services. WLCAC is committed to enhancing the standard of living for those living in South Central Los Angeles.
Sister committee, SCCC-Watts, on Central near 108th, opened up in March 2018. It is located on the grounds of WLCAC.
WLCAC was founded in 1965, their purpose was to create and provide programs and services that serve the needs of the under-served, predominantly Black residents of the Watts and Greater Watts communities.
People can recognize their familiar surroundings and feel connected to the larger society, thanks to local monuments.
Members of the Black community in South Los Angeles chose these places to symbolize their ties to their community.
Leimert Park Village is rapidly establishing itself as one of the most important Black business and cultural neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
The area in the middle of a bustling cultural neighborhood hosting a great deal of festivals and housing more than 100 Black-owned businesses.
The Leimert Park Village includes a shopping district with an Afro-centric focus that is bounded by Crenshaw Boulevard on the west, 43rd Street on the south, Leimert Boulevard on the east, and Vernon Avenue on the north.
The Leimert Park Village serves as a monument to the successes of companies run and controlled by Black people.
Leimert Park’s established Black-owned market sellers transformed into major donors to the larger South Los Angeles economic engine.
A wide range of the neighborhood’s Black businesses have benefited from consumer foot traffic as well as supported the emergence of the neighborhood's sense of community.
The Leimert Park Village stands out for the cultural enrichment due its art galleries, daily musical performances, and seminars for dance and theater.
Places like the Hot and Cool Café, located at 331 Degnan Blvd., serve as a meeting venue for locals and provides a homework destination for kids living nearby.
The business hosts social gatherings, concerts and viewing parties. Hot and Cool Cafe even operated as a voting site during the 2020 elections.
This Black-owned, family-run cafe was established in 2018 and is situated in the center of Leimert Park Village. The founders aim to increase access to plant-based food for those who may not otherwise have it.
Since September 2022, Leimert Park has held weekly Market for Black Women Vendors, which takes place every Wednesday evening with Black female entrepreneurs present their goods.
Additionally, the program teaches individuals how to expand their street selling businesses and collaborates with California legislators to make it faster to operate as a street vendor.
Leimert Park is not just a neighborhood with houses and apartment buildings; it is also a bustling Black commercial area that is welcoming to families and artistic events.
People who reside in or around Leimert have grown used to the melodies of entertainment filling the streets or the aromas of delicious meals arising from nearby eateries and street vendors.
Another retail spot in Leimert Park is Sole Folks, located at 4317 Degnan Blvd.
The store serves as a center for the community, producing workshops, events, and offer programming that are culturally significant.
Sole Folks provide information and resources in addition to being a store that sells clothes, sneakers and other goods.
There are ongoing efforts to maintain the Black culture of this neighborhood and consistent initiatives to fight the increasing gentrification that is presently occurring in the historic African American region.
Organizations like the non-profit Black Owned and Operated Community Land Trust (BOOCLT) assist in spreading the word about “buying Black the block.”
A group of Black business owners known as BOOCLT is on a mission to protect the local Black area from commercial real estate developers who do not support community protection.
The organization’s mission includes building Black-owned, wealth-building properties; various resources to assist and preserve local culture; and campaigns to secure the support for future generations.
Leimert Park Village stands as a tribute to the accomplishments of Black-owned-and-operated businesses and organizations.
Supporters are working to ensure that the community survives and thrives well into the future and continues to benefit a large segment of the Black community in Los Angeles.)
The Ron Finley Project is an organization that teaches communities how to transform food deserts into food sanctuaries and teaches individuals how to regenerate their lands into creative business models.
RFP’s mission is to grow strong communities that think presently, act intentionally, and lay the groundwork for something beyond what we can see.
Mr. Finley has led both a Masterclass and TED Talk on gardening …
“I’m touched by seeing a lot of people not only binging on the classes, but also taking ideas and doing something with them. It's beautiful that you can activate people that fast,” he said.
. . . And has transformed a food desert into a food sanctuary.
“I don’t call them deserts anymore; I call them prisons because you have to ask for everything in prison.
The lack of fresh edibles causes curable diseases, hypertension and diobesity [His portmanteau of diabetes + obesity]. We can change that by depending on ourselves and learning to garden and plant our own food,” according to Finley.
Ron planted a food forest on the parkway in front of his home. The following is the warning from L.A. city officials.
“The parkway is the area of the street between the back of the curb and the sidewalk that is typically planted or landscaped. According to “Residential Parkway Landscaping Guidelines”, a permit is required for parkway landscaping.”
He recalls, “I got cited twice and had a warrant out for my arrest because I planted food on the parkway. In 2015, we got the law changed. Now you can plant edibles on the parkway. But what has the city done to help us beautify our communities? Where are the workshops to show people how to plant food on their parkways?”
But how were you able to get that law changed?
“Basically, I brought the heat. I was interviewed by [Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist) Steve Lopez, The London Financial Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal.
We got the law changed because I embarrassed the City of LA with petitions signed by large numbers of people requesting action from the city,” notes Finley.
“Gardening is my graffiti,” said Finley.
“We’re all artists because we’re all creative.
I studied fashion at 15 or 16 because I wanted to be a master tailor. I realized that clothes didn’t accommodate our bodies, we had to accommodate the clothes. At an early age, I wanted my whole life to be custom,” insists the master gardener.
“People ask me how I went from fashion to gardening. Well, where does fabric come from? Mother Earth! So, with gardening, you get to show what you feel, and you get to affect how people think. Gardening is art.”
Finley stressed, “To change the community, you have to change the composition of the soil.”
“If we expose our kids to gardening at an early age, we’re exposing them to a life skill that they can use for the rest of their lives. If you know how to harvest your food, grow your food, and cook your own food, then nobody can ever take that from you,” he said.
“These kids are the most valuable things on Earth, but nobody has told them that. We can flip that switch. This work isn’t about the garden or food; it’s about freedom. How do we change a person’s DNA? We’re working on that.”
The Ron Finley Project is located on Exposition Blvd in the Crenshaw area. For more information, visit https://ronfinley.com/pages/about.
Renowned singer, actor, producer, and legendary civil rights trailblazer, Harry Belafonte has died at the age of 96.
His publicist confirmed that the beloved icon died of congestive heart failure at his home in New York on Tuesday, April 25.
In addition to his children Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, Shari Belafonte, Gina Belafonte, David Belafonte and two stepchildren Sarah Frank and Lindsey Frank, Belafonte leaves behind eight grandchildren: Rachel Blue Biesemeyer, Brian Biesemeyer, Maria Belafonte McCray, Sarafina Belafonte, Amadeus Belafonte, Mateo Frank, Olive Scanga, and Zoe Frank.
Known globally for both for his artistic ingenuity and humanitarian ideals, Belafonte became an early, vocal supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, a confidante of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and financial backer of countless historic political and social causes and events, including the Anti-Apartheid Movement, equal rights for women, juvenile justice, climate change and the decolonization of Africa.
He was one of the organizers of the 1963 March on Washington and led a delegation of Hollywood luminaries including his best friend Sidney Poitier, as well as Paul Newman, Sammy Davis Jr., Marlon Brando, Rita Moreno, Tony Curtis, James Baldwin, Burt Lancaster, Joanne Woodward, Diahann Carrol, Bob Dylan, Mahalia Jackson; Peter, Paul and Mary and Joan Baez, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.
The following is from Belafonte’s bio on the HistoryMakers:
Born to immigrant parents in Harlem on March 1, 1927, Harry Belafonte spent much of his youth in his mother’s home country of Jamaica.
Though difficult, life in Jamaica was full of rich cultural experiences that influenced Belafonte’s art.
At the beginning of World War II, Belafonte returned to Harlem with his mother and brother. He had trouble integrating into the new environment and later dropped out of high school to join the U.S. Navy.
After Belafonte was honorably discharged, he went back to New York, where he worked odd jobs until two free tickets to the American Negro Theatre (A.N.T.) changed his life.
Belafonte auditioned for the A.N.T. and earned his first leading role in Juno and the Paycock.
In 1953, he made his film debut opposite Dorothy Dandridge in Bright Road. He won a Tony in 1954 for his performance in Almanac.
At the same time, Belafonte developed his singing talents, having parlayed a series of nightclub performances into a record contract.
His third album, Calypso, topped the charts for thirty-one consecutive weeks and was the first record to sell more than 1 million copies.
Belafonte also secured a television outlet with his hour-long special, Tonight with Belafonte, which won him an Emmy.
He became the first African American TV producer and his company, HarBel, went on to produce one Emmy nominee after another.
In the early 1950s, Belafonte developed a strong relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Belafonte worked tirelessly to mobilize artists in support of the civil rights movement.
In 1985, he again rallied the global artistic community to raise awareness of the famines, wars and droughts plaguing many African nations.
USA for Africa raised more than $60 million for this cause with “We Are the World” and Hands Across America.
A longtime anti-apartheid activist, Belafonte hosted former South African President Nelson Mandela on his triumphant visit to the United States.
Belafonte maintained his commitment to service as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.
“The lifelong commitment, courage, global leadership, and legacy of The Honorable Harry Belafonte will always be cherished and remembered by billions of people throughout the world,” said NNPA President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
“Belafonte was a gifted, talented and transformative freedom fighter for all of humanity. The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) salutes the memory of Harry Belafonte and recommits to the struggle for freedom, justice and equality that Belafonte so boldly epitomized and embodied.”