African Americans have a long and rich history in the development of Los Angeles and yet, it is only sparsely recognized. MHD and co-host, Chavonne Taylor, sit down with Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson, a historian who has not only researched and documented Black History in Los Angeles but has contributed to its official recognition in communities and cities throughout the county. She talks with MHD about the ways African Americans have contributed to the development of Los Angeles, why Black LA history documentation has been limited, and even her own family history as a third-generation African American Californian.

Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson is the author of Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era which examines how African Americans pioneered leisure through their attempts to create communities and business projects, in conjunction with the growing African American population. She is currently working with the California African American Museum as a guest curator on the February 2023 exhibition Black California Dreamin’ which highlights Black Angelenos and Californians who worked to make leisure an open, inclusive reality.

www.alisonrosejefferson.com

https://caamuseum.org/exhibitions/2023/black-california-dreamin-african-americans-and-the-frontier-of-leisure

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