African American Heritage Month

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 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

The 1973 band changed Latin music forever. Irakere lives again with two of its original band members, legends without equal – Chucho Valdés and Arturo Sandoval. Few American venues today can compare to The Soraya’s history celebrating the musical greatness of Cuba.

Writers of any level of experience are invited to join our writing group to practice writing short pieces across many genres and sharing their writing with others. Each month, we will engage with a different writing prompt, preparing our own short work in response and bringing it to share at our meeting.

Join this family arts and craft workshop. Participants will create a paper quilt inspired by the work of Faith Ringgold.

Learn about the African American architects who helped shape mid-century Los Angeles. This workshop includes the works of Paul R. Williams, who helped design the Theme Building at LAX; Robert Kennard, who started the oldest Black-owned and operated a firm in Los Angeles in 1957; and Norma Sklarek, who worked on several projects, including Santa Monica Place and the U.S. Embassy in Japan. Teens will try to recreate these buildings using LEGOs. For ages 12 -18.

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.

Michael Jackson’s fashion sense has always been iconic. Our display of original artifacts on loan from the Michael Jackson estate showcases memorable pieces, including beaded jackets Jackson wore during the Jacksons’ 1984 Victory tour. Also featured is our original short film about making Jackson’s Thriller music video.

Sundays & Mondays, Wednesdays – Fridays 11:00 noon – 5:00 p.m.
Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.