Mike Sonksen

Vigilant Love is an inter-spiritual and multi-generational advocacy group, whose deep cross-cultural friendships and approach to building solidarity between Muslim and Japanese American youth provides an incredible model for society to move forward.

Adrian Younge's latest album, "The American Negro," keeps the legacy of freedom music alive, incorporating elements of jazz, funk, soul, spoken word and hip-hop to detail the Black experience and the evolution of racism in America.

Jamal Hill wants to teach one million underserved people to swim before 2028. The 25-year-old Inglewood-born professional swimmer embodies a combination of the competitive swimming spirit of Michael Phelps with the self-determination, community advocacy and direct agency of Nipsey Hussle.

In response to L.A.'s transitory poetry scene, Hiram Sims has founded Southern California's only library of poetry, located in South Central Los Angeles.

Meet the core artists who were the vanguards of the West Coast edition of the Black Arts Movement: Betye Saar, Noah Purifoy, John Outterbridge and Jayne Cortez.

Today, a cadre of local activists and artists in Watts are using storytelling and human relationships to promote change, justice, equality and communal values.

Judith Baca’s mural work asks tough questions about public art and what role it plays in a multicultural society. These seven books illuminate the intersection between Baca’s work, public histories and art practice.

Kobe Bryant will forever be remembered as one of the brightest lights to ever shine in the City of Angels. His life ripples through L.A.'s collective cultural consciousness.

In late November, a massive mural, "Rushing Waters," debuted in Pacoima. Coming in at over 10,000 square feet, it's one of the largest in the city. 

"Taking Back the Boulevard,” a new book by Jan Lin, not only documents the current situation in Eagle Rock and Highland Park but it tells a bigger story of the artists and activists that have called Eagle Rock and Highland Park home for over a century.