With So Much Sunshine, Who is Left in The Dark?

AFTER WATCHING the various videos about Los Angeles’ past, I was most inspired by the Chavez Ravine story. Throughout our discussions in class, there has been a lot of emphasis on what it means to be from LA or move there from somewhere else. Many themes that arise are pursuing fame and fortune, endless opportunities and possibilities, and the LA “boosters” who marketed Los Angeles as a place of beautiful weather, agriculture, and growth. After watching the story about Chavez Ravine, I could not help but think about how so many people—who were forced to move out of their homes so that the Dodger’s Stadium could be built—were completely left out of this picture. As I researched further information about this event, I realized how much of a façade was placed over Los Angeles to make it look like the city where dreams come true, while many residents who could have used the “endless opportunities” the most, were denied them and suffered from Los Angeles’ growth while others prospered in their place.
Reflecting on this aspect of Los Angeles history, I thought about if there has ever been a time when I or someone I know has experienced such injustice—I couldn’t think of a thing, nothing that comes close to what Mexican-Americans faced during those times. This, I thought, is the prejudice reincarnated. Although my peers and I have not directly experienced Chavez Ravine or the Zoot Suit Riots, there is something to be said in that it happened not too long ago, and it is an issue that is regarded as being something of the past; yet many of the Chavez Ravine residents could be alive and well, maybe even living in Los Angeles to this day. It seems as though the story of Chavez Ravine has been considered a ‘blip’ in the image of “The City of Angels” which must be forgotten to preserve face. Artists like Vincent Valdez have attempted to make the Chavez Ravine story present in the Los Angeles mindset, yet it seems all too clear that LA prefers rejecting negative history and replacing it with another shiny billboard of how much better it is today from yesterday.
Had I not taken a class which emphasizes these historic Los Angeles events, I may have never known the tumultuous past of the people who believed in the LA dream and were betrayed by it. It is extremely important for those living in Los Angeles to remember where our population has come from, and the suffering that has occurred for those in pursuit of taking advantage of what LA promotes and claims to offer everyone. With so much sunshine, no one should be left in the dark of Los Angeles’ past.

-- Lauren McHale




(photo caption, top: Aurora Archega, carried out by the police, with all of her belongings, on May 9, 1959, photo caption middle: photo caption: Chavez Ravine is now the home of Dodger Stadium, which was built for the L.A. baseball team in 1962.
Credits: The City's Project, Flickr Stream
photo caption, bottom: Artist Vincent Valdez and "El Chavez Ravine"
photo credit: Genaro Molina, Los Angeles Times )