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.
Pico Santa Monica Farmer’s Market
This neighborhood market was established in 1992 and features produce from approximately 35 certified California farms, as well as live entertainment, activities and prepared and prepackaged food. It is a popular site with the local community and draws its customer base from the local Santa Monica and west side communities. The Pico market is open Saturdays from 8:00am to 1:00pm, rain or shine, and may be closed for selected holidays. All four markets accept Cal Fresh EBT and WIC-Farmers Market Nutrition…
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.
Brackish Water Los Angeles
Inspired by the dynamic sites where fresh and ocean waters intermix, this exhibition is housed on the CSU Dominguez Hills campus in South Los Angeles, where local rivers have been transformed into concrete channels, where industrial contamination and ecological racism have plagued surrounding communities for generations. See website for event times.
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…