Free

America’s suburbs are undergoing significant transformation. The traditional view of suburbs as predominantly white, middle-class areas no longer reflects reality. Today, they encompass a diverse mix of residents—rich and poor, Black, Latino, Asian, immigrants, and the unhoused. This shift is especially evident in Los Angeles, where many suburbs have become majority-minority. The New Suburbia explores the experiences of Asian Americans, Black Americans, and Latinos who moved into formerly exclusive neighborhoods.

In 1759, the Diamond sailed to unspecified ports in the Americas, Jamaica, Panama, Colombia, and more unspecified destinations in what was then known as the Spanish Caribbean, embarking and disembarking human cargo as part of the slave trade. The Diamond serves as an entry point into a discussion of the movement of Africans and African-descended captives to the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea-bordered regions, the ocean memory of those human cargo lost to the voyages through the Americas, and how that loss reverberates into the present.

Stream films on Kanopy or Hoopla, both on-demand streaming film services. They both have an extensive library of African American cinema and documentaries that are free with your Los Angeles City or Los Angeles County library card.

kanopy.com/en/category/40898?frontend=kui

 hoopladigital.com

The community is invited to attend DCA’s William Grant Still Arts Center (WGSAC) opening reception of CongoSonic: Bantu Beats Across the Americas, Saturday March 29, 2025, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.

From the vibrant rhythms of traditional Bantu instruments to the infectious grooves of Congolese rumba and soukous, CongoSonic: Bantu Beats Across the Americas delves into how music from the Congo has shaped genres across the Americas—including jazz, rock n roll, hip-hop, cumbia, salsa, and bachata. On display, you will find a collection of albums, photographs, and other materials that showcase the lasting influence of the greater Congo on our continents.

Explore the cultural connections formed through the African diaspora, discover iconic artists like Franco Luambo and Papa Wemba, and trace the enduring legacy of Congolese rhythms in modern music from legends such as Louis Armstrong, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, and Nina Simone to Big Mama Thornton, Zapp, Celia Cruz, Prince Buster, and aja monet. Featuring interactive listening opportunities, including live performances, and rare artifacts, CongoSonic highlights culture, music and movement commonalities in the Americas from Congo while reflecting on the devastating humanitarian and ecological crisis currently unfolding.

The opening reception is Free and open to the public.

CongoSonic: Bantu Beats Across the Americas shows from Saturday, March 29 to Saturday, June 14, 2025. Gallery hours: Tuesday through Saturday, Noon to 5:00 p.m.

To learn much more about the exhibition, please visit wgsac.wordpress.com/2025/03/06/congosonic-bantu-beats-across-the-americas/.

Exhibition programming:

Opening Reception, Saturday, March 29, 2025 | 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Djs Adé and Fresko in vinyl conversation

Workshop and Performance, Saturday, April 19, 2025

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  | Workshop with Petna Ndaliko Katondolo

1:00 – 4:00 p.m.  | Performances by aja monet and Jimetta Rose and the Voices of Creation

Screening Thursdays | 7:00 p.m.

The Rumba Kings, April 10, 2025

Neptune Frost, May 1, 2025

When We Were Kings, June 5, 2025

Questions? Please contact WGSAC at (323) 734-1165 or wgsarts@lacity.org.

The Los Angeles Public Library and the Los Angeles County Library cards give you access to many resources, including two amazing online music collections. Freegal features unlimited songs, and Hoopla lets you check out full albums. These two databases have endless amounts of music from the African and African American diaspora to explore, from famous hits to underground sounds.

hoopladigital.com/search?q=African+American+music&scope=everything&type=direct&kindId=6

freegalmusic.com

As part of the NEA Big Read: Los Angeles initiative McGroarty Arts Center invites you to celebrate The House on Mango Street  by Sandra Cisneros in this two day event through art making that explores the themes of the self-identity and sense of belonging.

Activities Include:
Saturday, March 29,

• Poetry / Creative Writing Workshop, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Participants are welcome to express their feelings about home, community, and personal identity, themes that reflect this years 2024/25 NEA Big Read: Los Angeles book selection, “The House On Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros.

Sunday, March 30

• Personal Collage Art Activity, 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  and again from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m.
  Bring photos and personal memorabilia to create a collage based on a fun guided discussion about personal identity!
• Improvisation Workshop, 1:30 to 2:00 p.m.

Join in or just enjoy watching and laughing along.

• Memory Mosaic Art Activity, 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  and again from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m.

Bring personal and found objects to create mosaic that celebrates your unique personality.

All materials will be provided to arts workshop participants, while supplies last.

Free RSVP available at mcgroartyartscenter.org/big-read-2025.

For more information, visit www.mcgroartyartscenter.org, or email, info@mcgroartyartscenter.org

The McGroarty home was acquired by the City of Los Angeles in 1953. The house was declared a City of Los Angeles historic-cultural monument (#63) in 1970.

John Steven McGroarty wrote several poems and plays, most notably the Mission Play, which was a three-hour pageant portraying the history of the California missions. The play ran for twenty years and was seen by over two million people. In 1933, Mr. McGroarty was appointed Poet Laureate of California, a position which he held until he died in 1944, at the age of 82.
McGroarty Arts Center’s mission is to provide access to the arts, community and history by offering affordable or free in-depth arts instruction, and a wide range of creative experiences and events, to people of all ages, for many years to come. The Center provides a historic and cultural venue for artists to present their work in all forms, while preserving the legacy of John Steven McGroarty and his truly historic home. A home that is dearly treasured by so many members of our wonderful and supportive community.

An in-depth installation of Jean-Michel Basquiat features all 13 works by the artist in the Broad collection, including three works on view for the first time at The Broad: Santo 2, Deaf, and Wicker.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays – 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Thursdays – 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.,
Saturdays and Sundays 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

The exhibition Alice Coltrane, Monument Eternal is inspired by the life and legacy of jazz musician, devotional leader, and mother Alice Coltrane. The title takes its name from her book Monument Eternal (1977), which reflected her newfound spiritual beliefs, the loss of her husband, the saxophonist John Coltrane, and the path to healing and self-discovery. The exhibition presents work by contemporary American artists paired with ephemera from Coltrane’s personal archive.