This “Unapologetically Black” Monument Is Already Changing Los Angeles

In our fifth-ever episode of the Next City podcast, we spoke to Jason Foster of Destination Crenshaw, a monument to Black Los Angeles that had just broken ground. Four years later, that 1.3-mile monument to Black culture—set to be the largest Black public art project in America—has started transforming the city's Crenshaw corridor.

Construction is nearly complete on Sankofa Park, the project's “crown jewel,” which will feature 40,000 square feet of green space and sculptural installations. The project launched last year with a mural by Los Angeles artist Anthony “Toons One” Martin, and, like every piece of the effort, it was an iterative process, Foster says.

“It started off just doing a mural. We ended up doing awning and lighting and some dog stencils for the dog lover business on the other side,” Foster says. “It turned into what I believe is a better interpretation of what Destination Crenshaw is, which is a holistic kind of community change using art—as not only beautification, but also an advertisement for the community [and the businesses along the corridor] to be that destination. It was something that I could not have imagined before.”

In this episode, we hear from Foster and L.A. City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who was pivotal to launching Destination Crenshaw.