Family photo albums are an archivist treasure trove of family BBQs, weddings, birthday parties, graduations, vacations, soccer, football, baseball, cheer and even funerals. It’s the road map of a rich life lived in communities that are often shrouded by others with a single story of what they think South LA, or Compton, represents.
Compartmentalizing a single narrative based on zip codes is infatine and easiest, but for those who live and work in those areas, it is more than the trauma that defines an area like Gage and Hoover. Proclaiming those other stories of joy and triumph is the goal of Color Compton History and Art Museum.
To that end, co-founders Abigail Lopez-Byrd and husband Marquell Byrd, along with their board of directors, eight staff members and numerous interns, provide a space to mentor youth on the importance of controlling and curating narratives. The museum was founded on February 18, 2023, and on May 23, 2023, the Advocate Newsroom at Hawkins High School first experienced the magnitude of the museum in a field trip funded by Exploring the Arts, a Tony Bennett Foundation.
On May 24, 2024, the Advocate Newsroom and students from Mr. Miller’s CCR class were again able to immerse and create their own narratives. And, again, it was funded by ETA. In the gallery are images from May 15, 16, 17 and 24, capturing the joy of shooting with film (instead of DSLR), one of the ways students were advised on how to overcome the danger of a single story. If you need “single-story” context watch the attached 2019 TED talk video given by the highly acclaimed author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
