Required Reading

"On February 7, lion and dragon dancers from the Wan Chi Ming Hung Gar Institute rang in the Year of the Fire Horse on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum's day-long celebration also included performances by AAPI Jazz Collective and Vietnam Heritage Center dancers, a community marketplace with organizations like Think!Chinatown - whose lantern artist-in-residence, Sarula Bao, was recently interviewed by Hyperallergic's Rhea Nayyar - and a pop-up shop hosted by the beloved Yu and Me Books."

"which is to establish a monument to the newly minted cultural district: "Black people have experienced quite a level of erasure in South L.A.," added Karen Mack, founder and executive director of LA Commons. "A lot of people can't afford to live in areas that were once populated by us, so to really affirm our history, to affirm that we matter in the story of Los Angeles, I think is important.""

Lunar New Year celebrations at the Metropolitan Museum of Art featured lion and dragon dancers, performances by AAPI Jazz Collective and Vietnam Heritage Center dancers, a community marketplace including Think!Chinatown, lantern artist Sarula Bao, and a pop-up by Yu and Me Books. California has designated Historic South L.A. as a Cultural District, recognizing the area as a hub of Black art and music and initiating plans for a monument. Community leaders emphasize addressing erasure and affirming the history and presence of Black residents, while planners consider monument forms such as a gateway, bridge, or sculpture.

Read at Hyperallergic