Historian Alison Rose Jefferson after her presentation titled “The Great Black Migration and How This Changed California” strikes a pose with Journalist and Radio Talk Show Host Earl Ofari Hutchinson who acted as moderator. In the illustrated presentation, photographic examples where offered of individuals who were representative of the different people of African ancestry migrating to Los Angeles and California from the late eighteenth century to 1980, the end of the Great Migration.
I was honored to be a speaker at the Leimert Park Village Book Fair on Saturday, August 25, this year held at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza at Martin Luther King, Jr. and Crenshaw Boulevards in Los Angeles. I did an illustrated presentation, on the waves of people of African ancestry migrating to Los Angeles from the founding of the city in the 1780s through the Great Migration’s end in 1980, and how this changed California. Journalist and Radio Talk Show Host Earl Ofari Hutchinson acted as moderator. In the illustrated presentation I offered photographic examples of individuals who were representative of the different migratory periods I discussed. I was glad for the opportunity to share knowledge with the public that they might not have been as familiar with, and to work with Hutchinson and the LPV Book Fair. This year marked the 12th anniversary of the literary event organized by Cynthia Exum and her team. Each year I look forward to supporting the LPV Book Fair, and now I also look forward to doing a future presentation at this event about my forthcoming book with the working title Leisure’s Race, Power and Place in Los Angeles and California Dreams During the Jim Crow Era to be published by University of Nebraska Press in late 2019 to early 2020.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, one of the sponsors of the Leimert Park Village Book Fair, shares a moment with Historian Alison Rose Jefferson in a break between activities at the 12th annual literary event, which was voted one of “L.A. 5 best annual book festivals.”
KCET ‘Lost LA’ series, Episode Five: “Coded Geographies” in which I (Alison Rose Jefferson) was a featured historian, won 2018 Emmy Award in the Feature Segment category for its short documentary film. Adebukola Bodunrin was the director of this episode. The series is a co-production of KCET and the University of Southern California Libraries in a unique collaboration of media and higher education organizations which tells the history of Southern California through archival materials collection holdings in regional history.
If you did not have a chance to see this show or others in Season Two of ‘Lost LA’, KCET is re-airing all the episodes through streaming at KCET.org/LostLA and through Amazon, Roku, Apple TV, and other OTT channels.
Cover of the 1940 edition of “The Green Book,” courtesy of the New York Public Library.
Postcard of the Dunbar (Somerville) Hotel, Los Angeles, ca.1938, courtesy of the Library Exhibits Collection, USC Libraries.
The first Waves & Curls Natural Lifestyle Beach Festival was held on Saturday, August 18 on a perfect day of sunshine at the Pacific shoreline. This health and wellness event was held at Santa Monica’s Bay Street beach/Inkwell monument site. Produced by the Nappywood organization led by Regina Kimbell, activities included yoga, volley ball, a water balloon tournament, varied knowledge presentations, along with family and chill out activities. I was invited to do a pop up exhibit about the history of the African American experience during the nation’s Jim Crow era at this site at Bay Street and Ocean Front Walk that is sometimes called “the Inkwell.” The history items on display and knowledge shared were much appreciated by visitors stopping by the pop up exhibit. One of many highlights of the day was a deejay, backing up models strutting the clothing fashions and the hair styles of local designers down a red carpet runway placed on the sand. All who attended, helped out or passed by enjoyed the day of varied experiences. I look forward to being involved in this program in the future. Check out Nappywood on Facebook and Instragram (@nappywoodla) for more on the Waves & Curls beach festival and other Nappywood events.
See the Waves & Curls 2018 short video here produced by Nappywood to say thank you to presenters, vendors, and volunteers to get a visual view of some of the August 18 beach festival activities held at Santa Monica’s Bay Street beach/Inkwell monument site. The flier artwork below uses part of the oil on canvas painting image titled “The Bathers” (2015) by Amy Sherald.
