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For more than a century, South Los Angeles has been an anchor for Black art, activism and commerce — from the 1920s when Central Avenue was the epicenter of the West Coast jazz scene to recent years as artists and entrepreneurs reinvigorate the area with new developments such as Destination Crenshaw.
Now, the region’s legacy is receiving formal recognition as a Black cultural district, a landmark move that aims to preserve South L.A.’s rich history and stimulate economic growth. State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles), who led the effort, helped secure $5.5 million in state funding to support the project, and in December the state agency California Arts Council voted unanimously to approve the designation. The district, formally known as the Historic South Los Angeles Black Cultural District, is now one of 24 state-designated cultural districts, which also includes the newly added Black Arts Movement and Business District in Oakland.
L.A.’s legacy of Black-owned restaurants includes neighborhood spots in Little Ethiopia, California soul food in West Adams and Inglewood’s first wine bar.
Prior to this vote, there were no state designations that recognized the Black community — a realization that made Smallwood-Cuevas jump into action.
“It was very frustrating for me to learn that Black culture was not included,” said Smallwood-Cuevas, who represents South L.A. Other cultural districts include L.A.’s Little Tokyo and San Diego’s Barrio Logan Cultural District, which is rooted in Chicano history. Given all of the economic and cultural contributions that South L.A. has made over the years through events like the Leimert Park and Central Avenue jazz festivals and beloved businesses like Dulan’s on Crenshaw and the Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Smallwood-Cuevas believed the community deserved to be recognized. She worked on this project alongside LA Commons, a nonprofit devoted to community-arts programs.
Beyond mere recognition, Smallwood-Cuevas said the designation serves as “an anti-displacement strategy,” especially as the demographics of South L.A. continue to change.
“Black people have experienced quite a level of erasure in South L.A.,” added Karen Mack, founder and executive director of LA Commons. “A lot of people can’t afford to live in areas that were once populated by us, so to really affirm our history, to affirm that we matter in the story of Los Angeles, I think is important.”
The Historic South L.A. Black Cultural District spans roughly 25 square miles, situated between Adams Boulevard to the north, Manchester Boulevard to the south, Central Avenue to the east and La Brea Avenue to the west.
Now that the designation has been approved, Smallwood-Cuevas and LA Commons have turned their attention to the monument — the physical landmark that will serve as the district’s entrance or focal point — trying to determine whether it should be a gateway, bridge, sculpture or something else.
And then there’s the bigger question: Where should it be placed? After meeting with organizations like the Black Planners of Los Angeles and community leaders, they’ve narrowed their search down to eight potential locations including Exposition Park, Central Avenue and Leimert Park, which received the most votes in a recent public poll that closed earlier this month.
As organizers work to finalize the location for the cultural district’s monument by this summer, we’ve broken down the potential sites and have highlighted their historical relevance. (Please note: Although some of the sites are described as specific intersections, such as Jefferson and Crenshaw boulevards, organizers think of them more as general areas.)
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Central Avenue/King Boulevard
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Dubbed the “Harlem of the West,” Central Avenue was the hub for Black art, literature and music, particularly jazz, between the 1920s and 1950s. Some of the world’s best musicians performed at jazz venues along South Central Avenue — Hotel Somerville (later renamed Dunbar Hotel), the Downbeat and Joe Morris’ Plantation Club — including Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker and Duke Ellington.
Eric Craig, creator of The South LA Recap
“King Boulevard embodies the western expansion that Black and people of color pioneered during the second half of the 20th century in South Los Angeles, moving to communities such as West Adams, Leimert Park and Baldwin Hills after restrictive deeds were deemed unconstitutional and could no longer be used to marginalize groups of people (see Shelley v. Kraemer).”
But Central Avenue is known for more than just its impact on arts and culture. It was the home base for the first Black Panther Party chapter outside of Oakland.
Also on Central Avenue were the offices for the California Eagle, the West Coast’s oldest Black paper, which was run by Charlotta Bass. Bass, credited as the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper, also made history in 1952 as the first Black woman to run for vice president of the U.S. (The USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism named a lab in Bass’ honor.)
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Leimert Park
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Ask anyone where L.A.’s Black mecca is and they will more than likely point you to Leimert Park, so it’s understandable why this is a top pick for the gateway to the Historic South L.A. Black Cultural District. Like many areas throughout South L.A., Leimert Park was off limits to Black people until 1948 when racially restrictive residential covenants were deemed illegal. Over the years, famous musicians, politicians and artists like Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Mark Bradford and former L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley have lived in the area.
Shay Wafer, executive director of WACO Theater Center
“Leimert Park Village has long been the heart of Black artistic expression in the city, historically holding the largest concentration of Black-owned cultural institutions and creative spaces in one defined area—from the Brockman Gallery, Eso Won Books, Sika’s, Ramsess Art and Fifth Street Dick’s to current anchors like Harun Coffee, Art + Practice and The World Stage.”
For decades, Black Angelenos have been flocking to the neighborhood to gather, shop, express themselves creatively and celebrate their culture. Leimert Park is densely populated with Black-owned businesses including the Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center (and its museum), the newly reopened Harun (cafe and speakeasy), Lore bookstore and Nappily Naturals. It’s also where the Leimert Park Juneteenth Festival takes place.
On a typical Sunday in the bustling Leimert Park plaza, the heart of the neighborhood, you’ll often find lively drum circles, vendors selling Jamaican patties and shea butter, and skateboarders hitting tricks outside the Black-owned Neighbors Skate Shop.
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Slauson Avenue near La Brea and Overhill Drive
(Nailah Howze / For The Times)
Similar to Leimert Park, this corridor is home to an array of Black-owned businesses including Supervsn Studios, the flagship for Gavin Mathieu’s streetwear and lifestyle brand, and Simply Wholesome, which has been serving up organic smoothies and bites for 40 years. It’s also where you can find Hilltop Coffee and Somerville, owned by partners Issa Rae, Ajay Relan and Yonnie Hagos.
Robert China Berry, founder of Black Beverly Hills
“It sits just up the street from Overhill, an area long rooted in Black homeownership, Black businesses and cultural pride within Black Beverly Hills. This corridor has served as a gathering point for generations, where history and present-day culture intersect.”
The area is deep “rooted in Black homeownership, Black businesses and cultural pride,” says L.A. resident Robert China Berry, who placed a billboard nearby that reads, “Black Beverly Hills.” “The love and support from the neighborhood showed just how deeply this identity still resonates — making it a powerful and fitting location for a monument.”
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Crenshaw Boulevard
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Tamica Washington-Miller, associate director and named successor of the Lula Washington Dance Theatre
“Crenshaw and Jefferson is iconic and the northern gateway to our historic corridor of Black excellence, Black culture and Black artistry. It is most adjacent to our historic churches and holds a rich history of Black-owned businesses over the decades, including legacy businesses still owned and operated by new generations.”
Keisha M. Tarver , founder and CEO of Hype Off Life magazine
“From attending the King Day Parade and Taste of Soul to building my CD collection via weekly Warehouse Music runs to watching “Set It Off” at Magic Johnson Theatres, Crenshaw Boulevard has served as a consistent backdrop in my life. That’s not to say its cultural significance is limited to the city, as it has been featured in iconic Black art like “Boyz n the Hood” and Tupac’s “To Live And Die In L.A.”
Organizers are considering placing the gateway for the cultural district along Crenshaw Boulevard near Jefferson or Martin Luther King boulevards. But given that these intersections carry a similar history and are a quick bus ride away from each other, we’ve decided to combine them in this breakdown.
Like many of the spots on this list, this area, which is often referred to as the Crenshaw District, started out as a white-only suburb before evolving into a thriving Black and Japanese American hub by the 1950s. Crenshaw Boulevard, particularly on the southern end, is widely “recognized as the commercial and cultural spine of Black L.A.”
Within the district, you can find the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza (originally known as the Broadway-Crenshaw Center), which debuted in 1947, as well as other noteworthy Black-owned businesses including Dulan’s on Crenshaw, Lula Washington Dance Theatre and Earle’s on Crenshaw. It’s also where the King Day Parade passes through and close to where the popular Taste of Soul festival takes place.
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Exposition Park
(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Dafer M Dakhil, executive director of the Omar Ibn Al Khattab Foundation
“From its world-class museums and historic landmarks to the generations of families who gather there, Exposition Park represents both the legacy and the future of the city.”
Exposition Park is home to the California African American Museum, which aims to research, collect and preserve the history, art and culture of Black Americans. Located just steps away from the California Science Center and the Natural History Museum, CAAM’s permanent collection features more than 5,000 objects ranging from the 1800s to the present. Not only is the museum a place where people can go to reflect on their heritage, it also hosts regular events including art talks, workshops, yoga classes and popular dance parties (which feature live DJs, a beer garden and food trucks).
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Florence and Normandie avenues
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Janae Green, Owner of A Great Day in South LA
“The world had its eyes on Los Angeles during the 1992 unrest, and Florence and Normandie has rightfully earned its place in history. The intersection deserves ongoing educational programming that examines the why behind the rebellion — the systemic inequities, decades of disinvestment and the urgent call for grassroots change.”
The intersection of Florence and Normandie avenues was the epicenter of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Two names that were often invoked during protests at that time were Rodney King — the Black man who was beaten by baton-wielding police officers — and 15-year-old Latasha Harlins, who was shot and killed by a Korean-born shopkeeper who thought she was stealing a bottle of orange juice. (Harlins was commemorated for the first time 30 years after her death with a mural that sits on the exterior of a recreation center in South L.A., just blocks away from where she was killed.)
Over the years, the area has since shifted from a primarily Black community to a majority Latino neighborhood, but organizers and social justice advocates say it’s essential to remember and acknowledge the neighborhood’s history.
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Adams Boulevard near Arlington Avenue
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Before the expansion of the 10 Freeway led to the demolition of numerous homes in West Adams, the suburb was home to several affluent and influential Black Angelenos. In an area known as Sugar Hill (named after a storied Harlem neighborhood), residents included famed Black architect Paul R. Williams, who designed the nearby headquarters of the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Co. — once the largest Black-owned insurance company in the West — as well as more than 2,000 private homes. Other famous folks who lived there included Oscar-winning Hattie McDaniel (whose home still stands), music legend Ray Charles and prominent criminal defense attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr.
Karen Mack, executive director of LA Commons
“It’s in the heart of West Adams, one of the most significant neighborhoods in the trajectory of Black people in Los Angeles. As a destination for upwardly mobile entertainers, professionals and business and community leaders, the area was the site upon which the battle for the removal of restrictive covenants was fought and won.”
Although the neighborhood looks different today, there are still remnants from its Black history that remain including the Wilfandel Club House, founded in 1945 by Della Williams, philanthropist and wife of Paul R. Williams, and entrepreneur Fannie Williams (no relation) to provide a women’s club for Black women who were not welcomed at other public or private gathering places in the city. Also, the First African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the oldest Black congregation in L.A. designed by Williams, endures.
