by Wendy Christie
June is National Homeownership Month and whilst we celebrate the acquisition of a home as the treasured American dream, let us also remain cognizant of the inequities which have long prevented homeownership among certain ethnic groups. The images and video selected for this month’s publication are intended to highlight the disparities that have historically precluded some Americans from achieving the dream of homeownership.
In addition to the photos from the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center collection, we are also inviting you to watch our short film, Los Angeles: Displacement in Utopia. The film, written, produced, and directed by our resident historian, Keith Rice in collaboration with Dr. Karin Stanford and Pilar De Haro, was recently featured at the Pan African Film Festival. Los Angeles: Displacement in Utopia, looks at the history of gentrification as well as racially restrictive covenants in LA; a practice that barred the sale of homes to non-white citizens.
Los Angeles: Displacement in Utopia
The film examines the history of racially restrictive covenants in the city of L.A. from the early twentieth century until the 1950s. Additionally, it makes the connection to the gentrification that is presently occurring in communities of color throughout Southern California.
Gil Lindsay, Tom Bradley, and others breaking ground on a Community Redevelopment Agency project, Los Angeles, 1984
Protest, Los Angeles, 1962
Protest, Los Angeles, 1963
Protest Against Homelessness, Los Angeles, 1986
A collaboration with the CSUN Theatre Department for SYZYGY: The BLK Light Mixtape.
During the fall of 2020, the Bradley Center collaborated with the CSUN Department of Theatre’s digital-theatre production SYZYGY: The BLK Light Mixtape, which premiered on April 29. For this piece, a selection of photographs of the community of San Basilio de Palenque taken by Richard Cross and archived at the Bradley Center was chosen, edited, and included in the digital production to help the performers — the CSUN students Marcos Pereyra, Ria Bennett, Erick Perez, Sara Beaudin, Hazel De Luna, Noah Gephart-Canada, William Kwon, Matthew Jones, and Anna Holmes — in bringing to life the historical figure of Benkos Biohó.
The production was co-directed by CSUN theatre professor J’aime Morrison and CSUN lecturer Doug Kaback, written by Sean Hill, and composed by Anthony Valadez.
Here is the show.
Listen to our podcast, Emancipated
Episode 8 - Todd Miller on Borders (Part1)
In this episode, Marta Valier presents segments of an oral history interview with Todd Miller, conducted by José Luis Benavides and Pilar de Haro for the Bradley Center. Miller has more than 20 years of reporting and writing about borders—from their massive expansion in the U.S. (Border Patrol Nation, 2014), to their role in preventing climate refugees to migrate (Storming the Wall, 2017), and their central role in protecting the international imperial system (Empire of Borders, 2019). In part 2, we will bring you a conversation about Miller's newest book, Build Bridges, Not Walls: A Journey to a World Without Borders, 2021. #BradleyCenterCSUN #Border
Searching for the Afro-Latinx Community Identity
by Marta Valier
Searching for the Afro-Latinx Community Identity storymap was created by Zihui Lei and Professor Mario Giraldo from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). The project was funded by CSUN 2020 Diversity and Equity Innovation Grant and it features Richard Cross’s photographs of San Basilio de Palenque, images archived at the Bradley Center.
The ultimate objective of the storymap is to help accelerate Afro-Latinx identity formation and build a pluralistic community with social equality and environmental justice. The storymap covers the identification of the Afro-Latinx identity, the origins of the mix-identity, cultural and historical Afro-Latinx achievements, current status of the new identity, as well as challenges and discrimination in Afro-Latinx communities.
For the whole story, please check out the storymap.
Meet the team: Congratulations!
Please help us congratulate Tina Gharai! Tina worked with us at the Bradley Center prior to graduating CSUN this year. She was a dedicated member of our team and we are incredibly proud of her accomplishments. Tina, thank you for acknowledging the Bradley Center for making your journey exceptional. We are equally grateful to have you as part of our journey.