Black Beverly Hills: A community like no other
Throughout my life, I’ve called many places home. Most of my toddler years were spent in different areas around LA…Mid-city, Inglewood, Lawndale, and Westchester are a few. The small town, Warner Robins, in middle Georgia was also my home from 2009–2012.
My time living in each of these places has gifted me a unique experience and memories that will never fade.
South LA’s “Black Beverly Hills”, which is comprised of View Park, Baldwin Hills, and Ladera Heights, is the latest addition to my growing list of places I’ve lived.
My new home sits right between the View Park neighborhood and Park Mesa Heights.
In 2018, when I got the news we’d be living here, I was pretty excited because I was already familiar with the area. We lived on 54th street for a few months when I was 7 and I remember everything about our time there.
Sundays in the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw area are what I most look forward to each week. The African Marketplace & Drum circle provides a space for community shopping and gathering.
Out of all of the places I’ve lived, this area is the most culturally rich.The neighborhoods that make up Black Beverly Hills have very high percentages of African American residents — According to Black Ranking ,86.5% in View-Park, 71.3% in Baldwin Hills/ Crenshaw, and 71% in Ladera Heights.
Although my community has an immensely rich African-American culture and dense African-American population, gentrification has begun to pose a threat to the progress that has been made to get to this point. Though I do have my own vivid childhood memories, I’d like to know more about how the African Marketplace & drum circle began and how we can preserve this culture amidst the ongoing gentrification. Or if there’s a way to preserve a community once it’s been gentrified.
COVID-19 has changed the lives of all people across the world, and I’ve witnessed many changes here in my community. Of course, there have been far less community gatherings/celebrations and events. Which I was used to seeing almost weekly in this area. These events are what brought the residents in my community together, now I believe there seems to be somewhat of a disconnect between us.
I tend to consume my news via social media, Twitter is always my go to. I also find the summary from Apple News to be concise and informative. Over the years, I’ve found myself to be less drawn to watching news on TV, which I find ironic considering that I’m a broadcast journalism major.
Overall, I feel the gentrification happening in my community should be covered more in the news, as well as the successful black owned businesses that have continued to thrive throughout the pandemic.
