This is an in-depth history of the Los Angeles neighborhood from early contact between Spanish colonizers and native Californians to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the hunt for hidden Communists among the Jewish population, negotiating citizenship and belonging among Latino migrants and Mexican American residents, and beyond. The residents of Boyle Heights have maintained remarkable solidarity across racial and ethnic lines, acting as a unified polyglot community even as their tribulations have become more explicitly racial in nature.
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Boyle Heights: How a Los Angeles Neighborhood Became the Future of American Democracy
:Upcoming Events
Hola Mexico Film Festival
The festival strives to connect the audience to Mexico through cultural entertainment, creating the most authentic experience. The festival is for all audiences, and every event is open to the general public. Every film has English subtitles.
We Live in Painting: The Nature of Color in Mesoamerican Art
Mesoamerican artists held a cosmic responsibility: as they adorned the surfaces of buildings, clay vessels, textiles, bark-paper pages, and sculptures with color, they (quite literally) made the world. Color mapped the very order of the cosmos, of time and space. The exhibition explores the science, art, and cosmology of color in Mesoamerica. See website for ticket prices and registration.
On the National Language: The Poetry of America’s Endangered Tongues
This exhibition showcases forty-seven portraits of speakers and students of endangered languages living in the United States. The artist, B.A. Van Sise, collaborated with numerous Indigenous and diasporic cultural organizations, as well as Native Tribes and Nations, to raise awareness about these languages and the ongoing efforts to revitalize them. Adults — $18, Seniors, Students & Children (2 – 17), $13, Free to Members & Children under 2. Free on Thursdays Tuesdays – Fridays 12:00 noon – 5:00…
Future Imaginaries: Indigenous Art, Fashion, Technology
Future Imaginaries delves into the emergence of Futurism in modern Indigenous art. The exhibit showcases over 50 artworks that interweave elements of science fiction, self-determination, and Indigenous technologies from various Native cultures. The show also envisions sovereign futures. It challenges historical myths and the enduring impact of colonization, including environmental degradation and harmful stereotypes, offering a transformative experience that inspires hope for the future. Adults — $18, Students and Seniors — $14, Children (3–12) — $8, Free hours Tuesday…
Pacific Islander Festival
Join the Aquarium for its twentieth annual Pacific Island Festival. This festival features traditional music and dance, cultural displays, and craft demonstrations and celebrates Pacific Islander cultures, including Hawaiian, Tahitian, Samoan, Tongan, Chamorro, Marshallese, and Māori.