American West Historian puts into context the stories of people and places from the past and shows their enormous relevance for all of us today. Dates still to be announced. Please check back for updates.

Upcoming Event(s)

Past Events

August 2023

04 August

7:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Special Preview of “Black California Dreamin’…” and Other Exhibitions at CAAM Reopening Celebration – KCRW Summer Nights @ CAAM

Category

Past Events

Friday, August 4, 2023, from 7 pm to 11 pm PT

California African American Museum
600 State Drive, Exposition Park
Los Angeles, California 90037

Please join us at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles for a special preview of the exhibition, “Black California Dreamin’: Claiming Space in America’s Leisure Frontier” (BCD) curated by me, Alison Rose Jefferson. The exhibition items (photographs, maps, artwork, and more) visually illuminate my book, Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era and some of the public/applied history activities which have used this history. If you miss the opening event, this exhibition will be available for you to view until March 31, 2024.

KCRW radio DJs will provide live sets to help set the scene for CAAM’s reopening celebration (one day before the official opening date) and your exploration of six new exhibitions, which range in subjects from the Great Migration to Leisure in California, and exhibitions of contemporary art.

Download a flyer about the BCD exhibition I curated with info on the CAAM reopening celebration and special preview event here.      

Learn more about the CAAM–KCRW special program and RSVP here

Share this:

Share this event

• + Add to Google Calendar
• + iCal / Outlook export

June 2023

10 June

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

June Jubilee: A Celebration of Black Excellence | Los Angeles Public Library

Category

Past Events

Saturday, June 10, 2023, from 3 pm to 4 pm PT

Please join me at the Los Angeles Public Library, Central Branch (LAPL) for a discussion illuminating hidden and eased stories about the African Americans’ fight for dignity, equal access, and the full range of human experience and self-fulfillment.

Learn about stories of how African Americans created recreational and relaxation spaces in Southern California naturescapes as they formed community and created business projects from 1900s to 1960s at places such as Bruce’s Beach and the Bay Street Beach/Inkwell in the cities of Manhattan Beach and Santa Monica, respectively.These stories emerge from my recent book, Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era. I will also talk about how some of these stories are being used in contemporary Public History remembrance and public policy actions. 

Learn more about the LAPL program

Share this:

Share this event

• + Add to Google Calendar
• + iCal / Outlook export

December 2022

01 December

11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Deeper Digs Illuminating Marginalized Stories from the Jim Crow Era in Historic Preservation

Category

Past Events

Thursday, December 1, 2022, from 11 am to 2 pm PT (2 to 4 pm ET)

Please join me and the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) members on Thursday, December 1, 2022, from 11 am to 2 pm PT (2 to 4 pm ET) at a seminar where I will discuss my research and methods in illuminating untold stories about the African Americans’ fight for dignity, equal access, and the full range of human experience and self-fulfillment.

For this presentation, I will draw from my research, where I take a fresh approach to looking at the historical practices of relaxation and recreation in outdoor and public spaces for all people at beaches, mountains, and other scenic locales connected to the long freedom rights struggle.

Learn more about and register for the SAA seminar

Share this:

Share this event

• + Add to Google Calendar
• + iCal / Outlook export

February 2022

11 February

10:00 am - 11:50 am

Saddleback College Dorothy Marie Lowry Distinguished Guest Lecture Series 2022 (Virtual Program)

Category

Past Events

Friday, February 11, 2022 at 10.00 am

Saddleback College Emeritus Institute invites you to register to hear a lecture by Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson titled “Black Leaders of Leisure, their California Dream during the Jim Crow Era and the Implications of their Stories Today.” This program is part of the Spring 2022 Dorothy Marie Lowry Distinguished Guest Lecture Series and will be presented as a ZOOM Webinar.

The virtual event webinar will also be recorded and published on the Saddleback College website.

RSVP

Share this:

Share this event

• + Add to Google Calendar
• + iCal / Outlook export

January 2022

19 January

5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Los Angeles County Library Heart & Hand Book Talk Series: The Legacy of Bruce’s Beach Virtual Program

Category

Past Events

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 at 5.30 pm

Join us for a conversation about the legacy of Bruce’s Beach, and the role of community and media in spreading awareness about social justice issues. Library Director Skye Patrick will moderate an insightful conversation between Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson, historian and author of Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites During the Jim Crow Era and Dominique DiPrima, host of First Things First on KBLA TALK 1580. This program will also feature a special appearance from Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn, an instrumental leader in the County’s effort to return Bruce’s Beach to its descendants. Manhattan Beach resident and retired educator Dr. Anthony Lee will make remarks about what inspired him to contribute books to the new Los Angeles County Library Bruce’s Beach Commemorative Collection to feature African American experience subject matter that will be unveiled later in 2022.

The virtual event webinar will also be recorded and published on the Los Angeles County Library website.                                           Regular event flyer 

RSVP

Share this:

Share this event

• + Add to Google Calendar
• + iCal / Outlook export

September 2021

12 September

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

New Frontier Democratic Club || “Let Us Reconnect Reception”

Category

Past Events

Sunday, September 12, 2021 at 2.30 to 4.30 pm

Join the New Frontier Democratic Club and Historian Alison Rose Jefferson, M.H.C. | Ph.D. for a discussion about the early twentieth century African American resort, Bruce’s Beach, that was on the Pacific Rim in the City of Manhattan Beach, California which has been in the news lately and other resort destinations illuminated in Dr. Jefferson’s book, Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era. KBLA Talk 1580 host Dominique DiPrima serves as Mistress of Ceremonies. Learn more about this upcoming program here.

Download the event flyer here.

RSVP

Share this:

Share this event

• + Add to Google Calendar
• + iCal / Outlook export

July 2021

28 July

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

CA Preservation Ftn. || Beyond the Building: Pt. 2 Virtual Presentation

Category

Past Events

Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at 12 to 1 pm

Join the California Preservation Foundation (CPF), Alison Rose Jefferson, M.H.C. | Ph.D., along with Brian Pope and Scott Purdy from the Arc/K Project in a discussion about cutting edge and interesting methods for examining, documenting, recognizing, and interpreting historic sites known for their significance as non-built historic resources. This program titled, “Documenting and Recognizing Cultural Heritage” is the second of a two part series called “Beyond the Building: From Sites Conscience to Cultural Significance.” Learn more about the program here.

RSVP

Share this:

Share this event

• + Add to Google Calendar
• + iCal / Outlook export

June 2021

22 June

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

California Historical Society || Black Leaders of Leisure Virtual Presentation

Category

Past Events

Tuesday, June 21, 2021 at 5.30 pm

Join the California Historical Society (CHS) and Alison Rose Jefferson, M.H.C. | Ph.D. for a discussion about the early twentieth century African American resort, Bruce’s Beach, that was on the Pacific Rim in the City of Manhattan Beach, CA which has been in the news lately and other resort destinations illuminated in Dr. Jeffrson’s book, Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era.  

The virtual event webinar will also be recorded and published on CHS website and Facebook page.               Regular event flyer               Square event flyer (IG)

RSVP

Share this:

Share this event

• + Add to Google Calendar
• + iCal / Outlook export

19 June

8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Wade in the Water: A Tiny Film Festival Outdoors at Historic Belmar Park in Santa Monica

Category

Past Events

Saturday, June 19, 2021 at 8:00 – 10.00 pm

Bring your blankets and beach chairs on Juneteenth to watch the premiere of the film, “Belonging,” a Belmar History + Art site-specific film honoring early African Americans in Santa Monica. This in-person outdoor screening of short films celebrates Black culture and the water. From spiritual rituals to migration and sports, water is an integral part of how we rejuvenate and restore joy. Before the screening, enjoy food trucks and music, and the history panels (by Alison Rose Jefferson) and sculpture (April Banks) that make up the Belmar History + Art exhibition. At the close of the event there will be a raffle of free prizes!

Event flyers:               Regular event flyer               Square event flyer (IG)            Another event flyer 

For more information go to: @APRILBANKS_ART 

Share this:

Share this event

• + Add to Google Calendar
• + iCal / Outlook export

March 2021

20 March

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

ISLA/Oxy College Symposium || Promised Land, Hallowed Ground: Commemorative Justice and Making Change in Community Heritage Preservation

Category

Past Events

Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 1.00 – 5.00 pm

Join the Institute for the Study of Los Angeles and our Scholar in Residence, Alison Rose Jefferson, M.H.C. | Ph.D. for a symposium with invited guest speakers to discuss and respond to the context of American history and culture in relation to Belmar History + Art, a public history and art project in Santa Monica, California.

The virtual event webinar will also be recorded and published on our website and Facebook page.               Regular event flyer               Square event flyer (IG)

RSVP

More Information: isla/oxy/symposium/alisonrosejefferson/belmarhistory+art

 

Share this:

Share this event

• + Add to Google Calendar
• + iCal / Outlook export

20 March

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Architecture&Beyond Virtual Lecture Series || Los Feliz Library, Los Angeles, CA

Category

Past Events

Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 7.00 – 8.00 pm

Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson, historian and author on African-American history in Southern California, will be a feature speaker at the Los Feliz Library’s Architecture&Beyond Virtual Lecture Series via ZOOM.

To request a ZOOM link for the virtual lecture please email lfeliz@lapl.org with “A&B” in the subject line. See the attached flyer for details on this free lecture.

        Event flyer 

RSVP

More Information email the Los Feliz Library at lfeliz@lapl.org 

Share this:

Share this event

• + Add to Google Calendar
• + iCal / Outlook export

February 2021

24 February

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

LACHS Virtual Program: Black Migrations to Los Angeles and the Development of the Popular Music and Dance Scene in the Early Twentieth Century

Category

Past Events

Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 12 noon

In her talk, Alison Rose Jefferson, will illuminate the African American migrations to Los Angeles and how this influenced the development of the popular music and dance scene in the early twentieth century. She will highlight the development of this scene in the Central Avenue community when it was the hub of African American life during the Jim Crow era and talk about how the new Angels Walk LA heritage trail will amply this history for the public.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session. The webinar will also be recorded and published on our website and Facebook page.

RSVP

More Information: lachs/events

Share this:

Share this event

• + Add to Google Calendar
• + iCal / Outlook export

No event found!

Load More