Fifty years after Watts Rebellion, residents commemorate in vacant lots

August 31, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Watts recently commemorated the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Rebellion.

During the commemoration, the Watts Reimagined team, which includes Grant Housing & Economic Development Corporation, the Natural Resources Defense Council Urban Solutions Program and Kounkuey Design Initiative, brought people together in an abandoned lot on 103rd Street and Central Avenue.

During the event Watts residents came together for entertainment and healthy living activities like Zumba and food cooking demonstration.

Though the 50th anniversary events are winding down, the Watts Reimagined team hopes to keep these community building activities alive and continue creating impactful changes throughout the area.

Learn more about the Watts Reimagined mission here.

Filed Under: Community, More on Intersections, Neighborhood, Watts Tagged With: , ,

Redefining environmentalism in South LA 

August 26, 2014 By Leave a Comment


By gardening and keeping lights low, a family in Watts

challenges mainstream notions of “environmentalism.”

Ashley-Enviro5

Ashley and her mother in the garden at their Watts home. | Ashley Hansack

“Turn off the damn lights! You act like I have money coming out of my ass,” yells my mom.

It’s not: “turn off the lights because you waste energy,” “turn off the lights because we need to reduce fossil fuels,” or “turn off the lights because we need to conserve resources.”

It’s: “Turn off the lights because I cannot afford to give up an extra ten dollars to pay the bill. I told you once and I don’t want to have to tell you again: turn off the damn lights.”

There are 13 light switches controlling the visibility and the mood lighting throughout my family’s house in Watts. In every bedroom, hallway and common living space, there is a light switch waiting to come to life and shine.

Enter the bathroom. Light on. Exit the bathroom. Light off. Enter the bedroom. Light on. Exit the bedroom. Light off.

Again and again, I turn the lights on and off without ever stopping to think about where this light comes from and how I have the great magical power to bring light into a room with the effortless flick of my wrist. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community Contributor, Environment, More on Intersections, Opinion Tagged With: , , , ,

Sights and sounds from the Central Avenue Jazz Festival

July 29, 2014 By Leave a Comment


The 19th annual Central Avenue Jazz Festival last weekend brought out crowds of L.A. residents to enjoy authentic Mexican and soul food, local crafts, and, of course, the sweet sounds of jazz. This year, the Jazz Festival was bigger than ever, with two music stages, kids activities and a plaza offering health screenings, stands representing local organizations and businesses, and artists making and selling a variety of crafts.

Watch the audio slideshow below for the sights and sounds of the festival. 

Visit our Flickr for photos from the event.

Filed Under: Arts, Culture, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

From Watts to Walla Walla: The burdens and the blessings of my college education

July 28, 2014 By 3 Comments


Alisha Agarde (l) and author Ashley Hansack (r) at a First Generation Mentorship Program Dinner at Whitman College in 2013

Ashley Hansack (right) with a fellow student at a First Generation Mentorship Program Dinner at Whitman College in 2013. | Ashley Hansack

During the fall of 2010, I applied to eighteen colleges and universities across the United States. As a first-generation, working-class, Latina applicant, college counselors prompted me to highlight my diversity in my college essays.

“You are different,” they would say. “Use that to your advantage,” their smiles would imply. Essay upon essay, I would highlight characteristics about my family, my school, and my community that seemed trivial and unimportant to my identity. Yes, my blood runs with 100% Mexican heritage. Yes, my mom raised my four sisters and me on her own under a housekeeper’s salary. Yes, I grew up living in the ghetto streets of communities like Watts and Compton. Yes, unemployment and food security were at the forefront of many family discussions. I would be praised by my mentors and counselors, who urged, add more details here, a little more pity there, and girl, you have yourself an award-winning essay. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community Contributor, Education, More on Intersections, Opinion Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Nonprofit Spotlight: TRUST South LA

June 12, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Trust South LA has a presence at Renters Day at City Hall.

TRUST South LA has a presence at Renters Day at City Hall.

Intersection’s Nonprofit Spotlight series profiles South L.A. organizations that are propelling positive change in South L.A. Click here to view more. 

What is your organization’s purpose? 

T.R.U.S.T. South LA works with low-income community residents to transform the built environment and social conditions in South Los Angeles by:  serving as a steward for community-controlled land; being a catalyst for values-driven, community-serving development; building awareness and community leadership in issues of housing, transportation and recreation; and creating programs and initiatives that encourage community building and economic opportunity. [Read more…]

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