Greetings!
This Friday, Los Angeles will recognize 30 years since the civil unrest of 1992. Systemic racism, economic exclusion and racial tension had been rising in LA for years. The killing of Latasha Harlins and acquittal of the LAPD officers that beat Rodney King brought our city to a breaking point.
Thirty years later, we must ask ourselves - what has changed in Los Angeles - and what hasn't?
We may not see unrest in the streets, but the same inequities that fueled '92 are still here. Too many communities of color are excluded or ignored, and too few Angelenos have pathways to upward mobility.
I find hope in the community. After '92, everyday Angelenos came together to launch community-based organizations focused on creating peace and progress. From Koreatown to South LA and beyond, these organizations became essential to our city, giving access and empowerment to thousands of people to this day.
We are not yet the city of equity, inclusion and justice that we can be. But we are closer because of these community organizations, and the people who refuse to give up on LA. You inspire me to keep up the work for justice every day.
Keep the faith and keep the fight,
- Capri Maddox
Executive Director,
Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department