The Great Wall of Los Angeles is a large mural, over 2,000 feet in length, in North Hollywood. this mural, designed by Judith Baca, shows the history is Los Angeles and California before human conquest to the 1980s. The Great Wall of Los Angeles depicts images of events in history that covers Japanese Internment, Civil Rights movements, treaties, and riots. One of the most striking features of the mural is the section "Division of the Barrios & Chavez Ravine. In this image we see police tearing families and neighborhoods apart as the Los Angeles freeways are built and as the Dodgers Stadium uprooted countless families and small businesses. Although this was not one of the bigger issues that are tackled in this long mural, it is something that is often forgotten or unknown. The building of the many Los Angeles freeways displaced communities around Los Angeles, pushing farther and farther into distanced areas and further segregating Los Angeles communities. The same occurred when the community, Chavez Ravine was torn apart and where the Dodger Stadium now stands. This is relatively unknown but it important because of the injustice of this action. The Chavez Ravine was originally acquired to build public housing but instead built this stadium, displacing a whole community for the benefit of the city. This piece of information is important for people to have, especially Los Angeles natives, and the inclusion of it in this mural is the only way that the history of Los Angeles can truly be told.
Monday, May 14, 2018
Judith F Baca: The Great Wall of Los Angeles
The Great Wall of Los Angeles is a large mural, over 2,000 feet in length, in North Hollywood. this mural, designed by Judith Baca, shows the history is Los Angeles and California before human conquest to the 1980s. The Great Wall of Los Angeles depicts images of events in history that covers Japanese Internment, Civil Rights movements, treaties, and riots. One of the most striking features of the mural is the section "Division of the Barrios & Chavez Ravine. In this image we see police tearing families and neighborhoods apart as the Los Angeles freeways are built and as the Dodgers Stadium uprooted countless families and small businesses. Although this was not one of the bigger issues that are tackled in this long mural, it is something that is often forgotten or unknown. The building of the many Los Angeles freeways displaced communities around Los Angeles, pushing farther and farther into distanced areas and further segregating Los Angeles communities. The same occurred when the community, Chavez Ravine was torn apart and where the Dodger Stadium now stands. This is relatively unknown but it important because of the injustice of this action. The Chavez Ravine was originally acquired to build public housing but instead built this stadium, displacing a whole community for the benefit of the city. This piece of information is important for people to have, especially Los Angeles natives, and the inclusion of it in this mural is the only way that the history of Los Angeles can truly be told.
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I'm from the South and I had a professor(also from the South) say that Los Angeles is one of the most segregated communities she's ever seen. I think you're right, The great Wall of Los Angeles illustrates many overlooked and contested histories and we could spend hours just unpacking this image alone.
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