My focus is on our coverage of L.A.’s communities of color and immigrant diasporas. Before this, I spent 10 years covering immigrant communities for KPCC.
Artist Mike Saijo at his Mathews Street Park fountain. The fountain is a public art project whose tiles feature QR codes, each revealing a story about Boyle Heights .In these challenging times, the need for reliable local reporting has never been greater. Put a value on the impact of our year-round coverage. Help us continue to highlight LA stories, hold the powerful accountable, and amplify community voices. Your support keeps our reporting free for all to use. Stand with us today.
Colorful tiles depict the Breed Street Shul in Boyle Heights to the left; note the QR code at bottom right. Saijo, who is Japanese American, has long been drawn to Boyle Heights’ past as a haven for people who, due to restrictive covenants, were unwelcome elsewhere in L.A. Over the years. All of these communities put down roots in the neighborhood. It’s a theme that Saijo has explored in his art before.on the onetime site of a large house that, along with a smaller one behind it, sat abandoned before catching fire. Saijo, who lives across the alley, remembers that day.
Some of the tiles are on the fountain structure, others are embedded in the concrete around it, which is designed to look like a street grid of Boyle Heights.The heaviest lift was the oral histories. Saijo says he first reached out to the Boyle Heights Historical Society, and then began making connections.
Some of the oral histories are not necessarily related to landmarks, but family stories. One recent Friday, Saijo was joined in the park by Shirlee Smith, 87, who grew up in Boyle Heights. She’d just driven out from Las Vegas with her daughter to see the park for the first time, and to hear her story — about her dad, Eugene Pickett.
Fountain Mathews Street Park Tiles QR Code Oral History Los Angeles History Breed Street Shul Mike Saijo Pocket Park Department Of Cultural Affairs Mariachi Plaza Boyle Heights Historical Society Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church Shirlee Smith
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Alamo Heights’ Robles uses family to push him to new heightsShortstop Bruno Robles has hit 40-for-77 (.519) for the Mules and signed with UIW in the fall.
Read more »
Park Ridge police: Woodland Park, North Park graffiti, vehicle stolenThe following items were taken from Park Ridge Police Department reports. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt. Criminal Damage to Property A witness observed three to four juveniles wa…
Read more »
Naranja Park expansion brings with it new splash pad, skate park and moreKenny Darr is KGUN 9's Oro Valley reporter. Send your story ideas to Kenny at kenny.darrkgun9.com.
Read more »
Newburgh Heights man arrested in highway shooting that killed one, injured another in Cuyahoga HeightsIan Rich, 29, was arrested Sunday night in Bratenahl after authorities say he fatally shot a man on I-77 in Cuyahoga Heights.
Read more »
Social Security to reopen Warrensville Heights office as raccoon damage shuts its Middleburg Heights officeFive raccoons were removed from the Warrensville Heights office ceiling this week and the agency must repair damage the animals did to wiring and the ceiling, according to the SSA workers' union.
Read more »
Woman fights for her life after attack at Boyle Heights McDonald'sA woman is fighting for her life after an attack at a McDonald's drive-thru in Boyle Heights earlier this year.
Read more »