This past Sunday, the Los Angeles community and elected officials gathered on Leimert Boulevard near Vernon Avenue for the ground-breaking ceremony of Destination Crenshaw.
What We Know:
- Destination Crenshaw is a 1.3 mile-long open-air, linear museum that features 100 public artworks by primarily black artists. Construction began this past Saturday. Ironically, the project honors African Americans while property values skyrocket and white homebuyers move into the area.
- The 1.3-mile art project will stretch from Leimert Park to Slauson Avenue featuring 100 art pieces commissioned by local artists as well as 11 “pocket parks,” and 1,000 trees.
- Los Angeles politicians, community members and businesspersons gathered at a dirt mound where the construction of Sankofa Park began.
- Actress and Insecure producer, Issa Rae, also delivered a short speech during the ceremony. Rae is a highly-praised figure in Los Angeles as a native of the View Park community.
- “This is your community so please, take ownership of it. Make your voices heard. Stake your claim. This land is our land and we are not going anywhere. We are here to stay,” Rae said.
- The project is proposed as the defense against aggressive gentrification that is happening in L.A at a rapid pace. METRO is currently constructing a billion-dollar train that will go right through the Black community on Crenshaw Boulevard, giving Angelenos easy access to places such as LAX.
Destination Crenshaw was a project Nipsey Hussle was heavily involved with until is death. A large segment of the project will be named in honor of Hussle for his contribution and legacy in the neighborhood.
