Participants in Reporter Corps, a USC Annenberg program to train young adults from South LA to report on their own communities, created audiovisual introductions to their neighborhoods this summer. Xochil Frausto and Shanice Joseph take us on a trip through Watts and speak with residents about safety, pride, and history. 

Xochil Frausto, 23, Jordan High School graduate

My parents emigrated from Baja, Mexico to Watts in the mid-1970s to realize the “American Dream.” But Watts was not how they had imagined America. Growing up I saw the cyclical reality of poverty, drug abuse and gang warfare. Walking to school I would see bodies, blood and altars. Although these circumstances brought many hardships in my life, I also feel fortunate to have grown up in a place that is so unique — from its historical role in the Black power movement, to the arts, to the cultural mixture of Blacks and Latinos. But Watts is too often voiceless. I want to share the stories of my neighborhood and bring forward a renewed perspective of South Los Angeles — issues that pertain to the immigrant community, gentrification, foreclosures and the Black community, and LGBT issues. I actively try to contribute to Watts whether through community organizing or through sharing my story of growing up in South L.A. I am also working to earn my degree in photography, and I write fiction and poetry about growing up Chicana.

Read about Xochil’s experience growing up Queer in Watts here.