LAYC opened its doors in 1968 in the Columbia Heights neighborhood in Washington, DC.  In the late 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and Cesar Chavez led the national boycott of California table grape growers. It was the height of the civil rights movement for all oppressed people of color. 

Our neighborhood was undergoing a movement of its own. From the 1940s to 1960s Columbia Heights and nearby Shaw, Mt. Pleasant, Adams Morgan, and Cardozo neighborhoods had been predominately African American. A wave of immigrants from Central America had settled in the area, and so the needs of the community evolved. The emerging Latino community, and specifically the youth, needed a welcoming space to learn English, gain vocational skills, and receive the support they needed as they began their new lives in the District of Columbia.

 
Today, Columbia Heights reflects the rich diversity of its history and so does LAYC. While February is Black History Month, we work year-round to celebrate and address the needs of all youth, Black and Latino. I am proud that the Center serves as a safe place for all youth as we continue to confront the many challenges that Dr. King's efforts sought to address.   

Dr. King's message represented the struggles of all people of color. LAYC will continue to value Dr. King's dream that all children and youth will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.  

LAYC is proud to recognize Black History Month and our commitment to help all young people reach their goals.