Ode2LA

Los Angeles Community Archive

Janel Merritt, Mid City

Janel reflects on what LA means to her, stating "LA is love to me. Having such a supportive village has shaped me into the woman I am today. I would not be who I am without the love that I have received from elders, strangers, family, all kinds of people from all walks of life."

When thinking about the storytelling of Los Angeles natives, she says "Our stories deserve to be heard, we are often misunderstood, often associated with the glitz and glam but there is also hustle and grind within LA culture that I think deserves to be told by the people who understand what it takes to be an Angeleno."

Janel sits with her 10 month old daughter, and gives props to LA by sharing "It's funny because if I had left LA for college, I wouldn't have Tayloni so LA made me a mother. She is healing my childhood wounds of having an absent mother and I am so grateful for that because I get to show up for her in ways I didn't get."

Josiah O'Balles, Boyle Heights

Clean, Long Beach

Reflecting on his upbringing, Clean states "Growing up in Long Beach and Compton made me realize that life was real, really young. It makes you a soldier."

When thinking about gentrification and preservation in Long Beach, Clean says "There's so many things that have already changed, it's hard to say... what can we preserve at this point? I played for the North Long Beach Panthers so if it's anything that could stay the same I hope it's the bleachers. But even then, they're trying to rebrand Northside Long Beach as Uptown Long Beach."

Clean emphasizes the relationship between preservation and accountability of incoming residents saying, "Preserving history holds the people of that timeline accountable, it's just like a relationship, whether it's a partner or a friend, people need to be held accountable for their actions. It's important to keep that history on file."

Nift, Venice

Nift says "Venice in itself is a melting pot. LA is a little bit of everything, you can get a piece of every culture here. You can see all walks of life and experiencing different things, not being so closed minded and becoming receptive to other avenues and I feel like that helps my creativity" when thinking about what LA means to him.
"LA is the epitome of everything cool."
In consideration of gentrification, he sates he "hopes the culture is kept in tact. It feels like everyday, the people who have the history and these stories are being moved out and forced to move somewhere else. So it's like these stories, the culture, the heritage is just being diminished over time. The more houses get knocked down, the more new things are getting built like apartment complexes and stadiums."

Priscilla Hernandez, Highland Park

When Priscilla thinks about what LA means to her, she says "LA means where my grandparents immigrated to, where my father immigrated to, and it just screams colorful to me."
Priscilla highlights the issues surrounding her neighborhood stating "Highland park is not what it used to be, there are so many people that I've never seen before in my area. All the color of my neighborhood is being erased. Everything is becoming grey and minimalistic. I feel like I'm living in the heart of such rapid change."
Preservation of food is important to Priscilla, she exclaimed "I always say, where did the raspado people go? Where did ice cream trucks go? Food vendors and street vendors are things that I don't see besides the new weird cuisine on the block... but if I just want to get some elotes, where do I go?"
When in conversation about the importance of storytelling, Priscilla stated "There's so many stories to share and histories to be cultivated. I think storytelling will be the thing that brings us together and the thing that will keep us together. It's so important for these memories to be documented and preserved. The only people that can preserve them are us."

Russell Ellis Jr., Jefferson Park

Russell Ellis Jr., speaks on being an LA native and how the city shapes our lives, "The archetypes of what makes up who we are, how we view life, and how we approach life have a lot to do with our immediate surroundings."
Ellis shares his thoughts surrounding storytelling and history sharing, "There is a lot of history that relates to people of color, yet those are not usually the talking points when you hear about Los Angeles.
Storytelling is valuable because it is a duty to pass along stories and experiences so generations after me have a better understanding of what life was like when I was here and why my parents chose to stay here amidst the challenges around our neighborhood. Things may have been similar but they were never the same."

Talia Rodgers, Exposition Park

Talia Rodgers, pictured in front of her grandfather's church and apartment building, two spaces that were pertinent in her upbringing in Los Angeles. "LA has shaped what I believe or perceive as beauty. You have to find the gold wherever you are." When asked about gentrification and the changes in Los Angeles, Talia says "The school I went to from K-8 grade and the church my grandmother was buried in are now high-rise buildings. It seems like there is an erasure of popular culture we all knew but also of people and infrastructure. Erasure of what a lot of people would see as home."
Talia thinks about preservation reflecting, "All my favorite food spots are gone, especially Hamburger Dan's which I miss so much. Our food locals are where families get together, sit, converse, share, and get to know other families... and I think that's important."
Talia ends her reflection with a bittersweet message, "I love LA... We love it! Home is different, but it's still here. It's just about picking up the pieces and preserving it. I encourage everyone to be their family's historian..'cause otherwise it will get lost."

JD, Eastside Low Bottoms

JD reflects on what Los Angeles means to him outside of his childhood taco shops, Los Carnales and Taco Mama. "Los Angeles means everything to me, I'd be nothing without it. If I didn't grow up here, I wouldn't have the gifts I have. Everything I do is homegrown and this is home."
JD exclaims the importance of preservation in Los Angeles by saying "LA is losing it's culture. They're trying to buy everything out and change it, which is changing for the worse in that way." Clown dancing and Black and brown unity are two things JD feels make LA great.

When JD was asked why storytelling is important, his insight was transformative. "As people, we may feel that we are going through things alone. But we need to hear from someone coming from the same place in the same position we are, talking about the same struggles we face. How will we feel togetherness, if we aren't hearing the stories?"

Speaking about the Low Bottoms which is the Historic South Central, JD states "This is the real south central. The first all black fire unit in Los Angeles was here. This part of the city barely gets any recognition, I am honored to be the first person from this part of Los Angeles to be interviewed."

M. Corey Whitted, owner of Crenshaw Juice Co., describes Los Angeles as "the best place to grow up, live, and work."
He recalls his upbringing in Los Angeles and the way it has transformed his being, stating "I am severely west coast, severely South Central. I'm into everything Los Angeles, street sports, lowriding, Harleys, you know...everything."
To Whitted, "Factual history is important to record and preserve as a way to be a barometer or guide for the present and future. Storytelling is the purest form of recording and passing down historical facts, culture, and traditions."

M. Corey Whitted, Crenshaw Juice Co.
Crenshaw District

kilaM. , Leimert Park

When kilaM reflects what Los Angeles means to him, he states

'LA is the city of stars. Through movies, music, and entertainment, I've always seen my city as the place to be. You drive down Crenshaw and you see the Sunday car shows, it goes hand and hand with everything portrayed.'

kilaM's interest in the preservation of hood gem's like his local burger stand, 'A-1 burger, I remember having that before I ever had McDonald's... so that's my McDonalds.'

His final reflection is the thing heard most when speaking of the LAnd. He finishes off his interview with,

'All I have to say is, I love LA.'

Melodi Forman, Eden Beauty Supply

Stori + Jasai, Alaiyo Waistbeads

Tré, Neighbor's Skate Shop

When Tré reflects on what LA means for him, he stresses the importance of life in LA. 'I don't see any life for me outside of Los Angeles, it's a home for me.' In regards to preservation, he mentions he 'Would like to see Black space, Black art, Black community preserved. More tangible things like people meeting up in spaces like the bowling alley, the movie theaters, the roller rinks, the energy I try to create in Neighbors Skate Shop. '

When asked why LA history is important to preserve, Tré speaks the minds of many stating, 'It's all that I have.'

Endiya Griffin, Watts

Gavin Mathieu, Supervsn

Gavin Mathieu, in his store Supervsn speaks on LA history's importance to him stating 'Because this is home to me, I try to do my best to add to the home and make the home better.'

Through the changes of gentrification, he adds 'I would like to see the origin of Los Angeles preserved. The authenticity, the mom and pop businesses, some of the culture that may have a negative connotation to it is still our culture and there is beauty in that. There is fabrics, color, movement, dance, associated with that when you pull the negative connotation away from it. '

He notes 'LA history is some of the richest history, you almost get the best of everything. We have to preserve the essence of that. Tommy the Clown is like an LA superhero, the architecture of spaces like Simply Wholesome and the churches around LA remind us of our history.'

He ends with his thoughts around storytelling, which he says 'continues what creatives and leaders have done prior so we are able to build upon what has been set for us. Storytelling is a history lesson and also a platform for us to better ourselves and better our communities. '

Mia Keeling, Simply Wholesome

Mia Keeling stands in front of the iconic, Simply Wholesome where she works. 'I love being from LA. We are unique people, we lead the trends around the globe.'

She highlights the transformation around her area, stating 'In this area, I used to see a lot of Black and Brown families, it has become more of a melting pot. A lot of the people I meet are not from here. The way that we [LA Natives] engage with each other and flow energetically is so different. We are really the heart of the culture here. It's authentic, it's not just about the zip code you're from, it's about the energy you bring. '

Gory Arnwine

Gory reflects on what Los Angeles means to him by saying 'LA is what I identify as a part of my existence.
As I've grown older, I encounter more transplants than LA natives. I hope we preserve the identity that we've had, I would like Los Angeles to always feel like Los Angeles.'

When thinking back on spaces that have been stripped from the community, he mentions 'World on Wheels is non-existence, it has been a staple in the history and the culture. Although things had went down, it was always a safe place for the culture to be. I would like to see these places preserved for the youth and a safe space to exist. '

He ends with the importance of storytelling, saying

'All we have are our memories and the things that we do. The mark that we leave on earth and the people we meet. We will never have this time again, your present thoughts will never be the same again'

Seynabou, Sika's

Ryhan is pictured in front of his grandmother's house with his father and uncle.

In his community, he reflects on the transformation , 'You can see so many areas changing because of the gentrification. You lose a community feel because of the infrastructure in communities now, you never see kids playing outside anymore like we used to.'

He states that Watts is important to highlight for him because of the lack of recognition that the eastside receives.

Ryhan Gage, Watts

When speaking on history, Ryhan says 'This history is important because history can only repeat itself if we fail to learn from our lessons. It's important to document, these young kids they don't know half of the things we refer to.'

Mikayla Everett

Mikayla provides insight on her Los Angeles experience from her braiding studio, which encompasses the importance of black creativity in the LAnd.

Home, a safe space, family, friends, love.

Preservation of Black and Brown women spaces for building purposes are important to Mikayla, she even mentions this simplicity of spaces like 'The Crenshaw mall, a place where me and my dad just use to roam together. These third spaces that are critical for us.'

She speaks on gentrification by adding 'LA has transformed crazily even in my own neighborhood. I've been here my whole life, but through these transformations we've all had to grow and adjust. This shows that through downfalls, we persevere.'

Mikayla wraps up her perspective by mentioning that 'Story telling is life. This is how we all live beyond our years. This is history, us living throughout our bodies and vessels.'

Compton Summer Lemonade Stand

Malik Muhammad-Coney + Mr. Larry White

Former neighbors in Leimert Park reminisce on what

Los Angeles has meant to them throughout their lives.

To Mr. White, 'Love.' is what Los Angeles means to him. 'We are the city of angels. Not the city of discomfort and hate.'

Mr. White shares an extremely important sentiment of Los Angeles unity sharing that what he hopes of preservation is the 'Continuous love forever one another. If we take away continuous love, we will die not as a race but as a people. '

Malik reflects on the importance of the city to him, stating 'Los Angeles is unlike any other place, it's like a city of cities.

You can turn down a street and you're in a new space with it's own personality.'

When Malik was asked about the importance of LA history and preservation, he emphasized LA native's right to their history. 'Knowing our history, it helps you walk with a different stride.'

Stone's grocery & market, what Malik remembers as 'Jamaican Heaven', was a spot that his grandmother frequented and storytold about. Storytelling is 'a time capsule, from a micro-perspective to let us know what was going on in Los Angeles ' during the time archive was made says Malik.

Gil, Ava, and Hunter Williams

Friends and members of the rap group, Los Angeles Lifers

Hunter and Gil Williams in Gardena, California.

When reflecting on what LA means to him, Gil says "thinking of LA, its home. It's my sanctuary." Storytelling shows it's importance to Gil generationally, "Knowing the heart of your community, all ties back to the roots and the heart. Little baby Ava’s here, and she’s six months, when she’s my age, I want her to know the community like I do. I don’t want it to be too much different"

Hunter reflects on why LA history is important to preserve when mentioning "We [LA Natives] are everything. We set the foundation for fashion, music, everything starts from right here. We got to keep the ingredients of how everything goes."

Fabiola's Fruit Stand

S. Serrano Ave & James M Wood Blvd

Shea Estrin expands on his experience growing up in Los Angeles, being introduced to many different cultures and the 'melting pot of Los Angeles'. "That shit means a lot to me you know? I'm experiencing stuff I'd never be able to experience on my own. Being introduced to so many different cultures."

He speaks about the pouring into black youth in spaces like Ladera Little League, which his brother and he grew up playing in. "It's not what it use to be, we use to put on for the city and have Black major league players and D1 athletes, now we don't see as many black kids involved in Ladera Little League."

He emphasizes the importance of story telling in Los Angeles by stating "How else are we going to know our history? It's major. We don't really have too many people doing this, it's big because we have roots in LA . It's on us to preserve and keep these stories alive."

Shea Estrin

Puerto Nuevo & World On Wheels

Queen Aminah Muhammed who followed Motown to Los Angeles from Detroit in 1974 speaks on the transformation of Los Angeles through her eyes. "All of the gentrification, we see people being pushed further and further out yet there is a cultural revelation happening now." She focuses on the importance of Los Angeles history, "I wish we could preserve Leimert Park. The culture over here is incredible, it's some brilliant, intelligent, very talented people on Degnan. It's our last Black Mecca. Even though they are trying to make decisions too undermine us and take it, we're not going to let that happen."

Queen Aminah + Terrance TK Kendrick

of the Leimert Park Village Vendors + Drum Circle

Terrance Kendrick shares what Los Angeles means to him stating,

"LA is the city of possibilities, anything's possible in LA."

Kendrick touches on the importance of archiving by saying "Crenshaw District needs to be preserved, everything looks different right now so if we can capsulize what Crenshaw District looks like now, it will be nice to look back and see it in this state."

Jacqueline Aguirre, Koreatown

Jackie stands in front of her family apartment which had been in her family since the 80s, a place her family would come to as they immigrated from Guatemala. "At some point, there was 10 of us living in there at once." Her family was kicked out due to gentrification and Jackie expands on this issue stating, "I tear up every time I see it. They kicked my grandmother out after she had a stroke due to gentrification. The last apartment we had our manager kicked us out because the neighborhood is getting gentrified."

She states how multicultural the area use to be, "There use to be people from Central America, Bangladesh, Korea, and it was such a familial community... Now it's a hit place for younger people to live at, which sucks."

She speaks on trying to keep community alive, "I'm a part of the Koreatown Run Club, people from Koreatown trying to gage the community that has been here for so many years."

Elyas + Evan Armstrong

in front of their restaurant, Fyrebird

Gardena, California

Below are excerpts from their interview about gentrification, what LA means to them, and the preservation of Los Angeles.

"LA is home to me, you know we have our own cultures, like a big melting pot, land of opportunity, you can do a lot of things here that you can’t do anywhere else."
"I would like to see all of our neighborhoods stay our own."
"Because we are the people who made this city, Hispanic and Black people did everything for this, we gave it the name. LA’s poppin because of all of the stuff that we’ve done. We run the city, we’re the face of it so we’ve gotta keep it alive. "

Dontae Castillo

Crenshaw District

Dontae Castillo speaks on the preservation of Los Angeles, "I hope to see grassroots culture preserved, the vintage cars, the backyard parties, the music, and everything that makes LA, LA. There's nothing like it. You can always find a bit of Crenshaw everywhere. It's the fascination of the movies, the people, we got to keep that going."

Castillo touches on LA history, 'People don't know about the eastside being the Black Mecca before everything was burnt down, prior to moving west of the 110. We already have lost our history, it's time to preserve what we have.'

Shaq Richard, Ish Morie, & Chiekh Tall

Spaces by Bricks & Wood, Mid City

Shaq Richard, Ish Morie, & Chiekh Tall of the fashion brand, Royal2. speak on their experiences growing up in Hawthorne, California, and setting a standard for creative Black youth.

"Preserving the youth, making sure there is avenues for them to create is extremely important. It is easy for them to get caught up in things that are detrimental to the whole community. There is such a beauty in so many people creating in Los Angeles. We need these environments for the youth. They speak on the preservation of LA staples like Tommy the Clown, "Keep Tommy the Clown safe, we need him in the community." They round out their thoughts by stating the importance of the individual stories of Los Angeles being highlighted. "It doesn't matter how we get there, we may have different journeys, as long as we're going in the right directions. The generations to come need a blueprint to follow and expand on."

After School Boxing

LA High

Barbershop Conversations

Boug'e Spot, Leimert Park

At the Boug'e Spot, Raven Shirley waits for her son to get his hair cut as she speaks on her experiences growing up around gentrification in Los Angeles. Shirley states "LA has transformed so much, especially with the housing crisis, and not being able to pay rent and stay in the areas they grew up in." She also focuses on the importance of intergenerational archiving by stating 'We need to pass down our history to our kids and our future generations'

Fat Ron, Giovanni Bijou, Keifer Moore, and more pictured at the Boug'e Shop in Leimert Park speak on the transformation of Los Angeles and how they hope to keep Black LA alive. "Preserving spaces like Leimert Park, Slauson & Overhill, and Crenshaw is crucial because of their Blackness. Hopefully those ain't going anywhere, their histories run beyond the 70s and the 80s."

"For the first time we have new stadiums, a new downtown, and they new metro line. Los Angeles is moving faster than it has ever moved before, causing the spike in rent. The people are what we need to preserve."