We see predominantly black communities all the time, but it is rare when we see one like Leimert Park. In the city of Los Angeles, there are many communities that are predominantly black, but we don’t usually see ones that are still in touch with their African roots. Leimert Park, located in South Los Angeles, has a unique culture that attracts artists, musicians and those who choose to remain in touch with the ancestry of Africans.
“This is where the root of everything is. This is the concentration of it, and there is no other place in the country like this. A lot of activity, music, dance, and a lot of culture,” said Sika Dwimfo, owner of Sika art gallery.
On Sundays, residents, visitors and business owners gather at Leimert Plaza Park, dance to the drums, check out the African clothing and try on the handmade jewelry inspired by ancestors.
“I come here because first of all, I love Leimert Park. I just love the environment. It’s a beautiful place for anyone who is interested in supporting black businesses. This is a place where we can come together, everyone is welcome to come visit and just enjoy the music, enjoy the food, enjoy the product, or just come and enjoy the vibe. I love being around our people, and I love supporting other vendors, African American vendors especially because we have to recycle black dollars,” said resident and vendor Kinaya Hafeez.
Business owners heavily rely on the community to keep them in business, and many depend on Sunday’s rush of people as a main source of income. Leimert Park is full of murals, music and individuality that separates it from the black neighborhoods you often come across while in Los Angeles.
Hoping to beat the stereotype of black communities being violent and gang driven, Leimert Park residents have come together to support and watch out for one another.
“There is a lot of love. Everyone seems to be spiritual, and they love God, and they spread the love. They welcome you with open arms. They want to embrace you, enlighten you about the culture, and there is surprisingly a lot that people don’t know, but when you come here, you will learn a whole lot of things that they did not teach you in school,” said resident and vendor Tara Stanton.
Rumors have swirled that Leimert Park is disintegrating due to the new metro station being built, but storeowners and residents hope that the culture will remain and that the metro will bring in more people to experience the community.
“I have always heard that they are shutting it down, but I’m hearing it more so now because of this metro that they are building, and its unfortunate if it is true because this is one of the very few places, if at all, the only place that we have as ‘little Africa.’ We have little Tokyo, little Ethiopia, Koreatown, why not have a little Africa? We are not harming anyone here,” said Hafeez.
From the art and clothes to objects that pertain to African culture, Leimert Park residents take pride in being one of the only black neighborhoods in Los Angeles that still have a strong attachment to Africa.
Zambezi clothing storeowner and long time resident, Jackie Ryan, feels that if passionate Leimert Park store owners like herself, do not advocate for the black community, nobody will.
“We are African American, and there is no race that is greater or more holier than ours is. Everybody else has their own culture that they promote. The Chinese, Koreans, Mexicans, they all have great cultures that are promoted and supported by the federal governments, and the city governments, and so I only advocate for African American culture because all of the other cultures have their own stability,” said Ryan.
With all of the police brutality and violence involving black people, residents do believe that young black people are starting to become more aware of their identity and have sparked interest to know their ancestral roots.
“People are gradually becoming more and more aware as they see how we have been excluded. Now you can see not only how we have been excluded, but also how people have taken our culture and used it to support their own cultures. People can see it with cellphones and Facebook, and they can see how the genocidal practice of society is by how they imprisoned our men and take them away from us, and demonize our race. The contradictions are now clearer and they can see their identity more clearly,” said Ryan.
“I am connected to my roots, and my roots are from Africa. I like the clothes, I like the culture, I like the colors and everything, but it’s hard to get people out of 5-0-1 jeans and Tommy Hilfiger. Sika is a way to keep our culture going, and this neighborhood is attracting more young people that are getting more and more interested in wearing their ancestral clothes,” said Dwimfo.
Leimert Park is a hidden gem in the Los Angeles community that often gets overlooked and categorized because of the stereotype for black communities. With open arms, Leimert Park welcomes outsiders to come experience more of the culture, and see the life that lives within the community.
