3 page reflection on your thoughts about the lecture and how it relates to other material we have engaged in this course.
Our W.E.B. DuBois Distinguished Lecture Series is usually held in the Spring.  Given the realities of COVID19, the Africana Studies Department has opted to use an alternative format to deliver this lecture focused on our theme for the year: The History and Future of Black Los Angeles.  Please see the link included to view and listen to the lecture.
The Speaker
Our speaker is Mr. Lawrence Ross, the author of the LA Times Bestseller, The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities as well as Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America’s Campuses.  Mr. Ross has written seven books, lectures across the country and is also co-founder of The Metaphor Club, the largest Black creative co-working space in California.
The Talk
South Central to South LA: Past, Present, and Future  is a lecture about how Black Angelenos overcame redlining and discrimination to create their own Western dream…in one of the nation’s most segregated cities. From the early settlers to families who traveled to California during the second Great Migration during and after World War II, the lecture details how Black culture developed on Central Ave, while the political fight against housing discrimination helped build a black middle class. The talk will go over how black residents began leaving South Central during the crack and gang era of the ’80s and ’90s, causing a rebranding of South Central to South LA, which has also helped cause the gentrification of the area today. Finally, I’ll talk about the future, and whether representation matters for Black people in the area, and what that representation looks like.

Here’s the link to the lecture: https://youtu.be/eD6va2diDCI

South Central to South LA Lecture
youtu.be