The Library's Garden Level (Lower Level) is currently closed due to storm flooding. More about garden-level closure. (Posted on: 03/08/2024 03:24pm)
The Supreme Council of the Mexican American Movement (1945-1950) can trace its roots to the Mexican Youth Conference (MYC) sponsored by the Youth Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in the early to mid-1930s. Initially, the conference provided a platform for young Mexican American boys to socialize outside the barrios of Los Angeles. The group extolled the virtues of...
In 1978, Los Angeles Councilmember Bob Ronka founded the Pacoima Revitalization, Inc. (PRI), funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Community Development Department of the City of Los Angeles. PRI's Board of Directors was made up of community members appointed by Councilman Ronka. The primary purpose of the organization was to revitalize the Pacoima, Arleta, and Lakeview Terrace areas...
In 1943, at the young age of 12, Brad Pye, Jr. paid a friend who transported cars to California $5.00 for a ride from his home in Plain Dealing, Louisiana to Los Angeles. Once in LA, Pye continued his education, completing both junior high and high school while working as a gas station attendant in the evenings. During World War II, housing accommodations were tight, and Pye rented space to sleep on an army cot in a freezing hallway. Nevertheless, he did not let his age or hardships deter him from pursuing his passion for journalism...
Spain established its first permanent settlement in the Philippines in 1565. Spanish colonial control of the Philippines continued until 1898, when the United States took possession of the islands as a territory after winning the Spanish-American War. The Philippine Revolution, a struggle for independence from...
While much of the western United States is besieged by raging forest fires and the noxious smoke they spew into the atmosphere, fires have long been a staple of life in Los Angeles. Forest fires in past decades were typically smaller, burned less intensely, and were more easily and rapidly....
Between 1769 and 1823, under the authority of King Charles III of Spain, Franciscan priests established twenty-one missions in California, to colonize the territory and convert its indigenous inhabitants to Christianity. San Fernando Rey de España (San Fernando Mission) was established at...
The Millie Moser Smith Papers contain materials related to the National Farm Workers Ministry and other organizations supporting farm workers. A portion of the collection was digitized as part of the Latina(o) Cultural Heritage Archives. Mildred “Millie” Alice Ross Moser Smith was born in Iowa on August 11, 1919, and relocated to California after graduating from the University of Iowa with a teaching certificate...
In our personal lives, important documents are often kept private and tucked away. When studying immigration and family life, it is helpful to move beyond the readily available rhetoric and look at primary sources. The Antonio and Luz Mendez Calvo family Collection, which has been digitized as part of the Latino Cultural Heritage Digital Archives, offers that opportunity...
For many of us, filling out applications and forms is a tedious task. In our daily lives, there are varieties of documents we must fill out to conduct business. On their own, these documents may not seem to be very valuable. Yet, for researchers, completed forms and applications may reveal a treasure trove of information about an individual's experience, their family and community, cultural traditions...
Alton L. Flanders served in an American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F) infantry battalion during World War I. He wrote letters to his cousin, Mrs. Jason Coppernoll, while in training at Camp Devens in Ayer, Massachusettes, and while stationed in France with the A.E.F. These letters make up the Alton F. Flanders World War I Correspondence Collection, and have been fully digitized as part of the World War I Narratives ...
