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In
April, 2000, realizing that the history of the African American
community of Los Angeles had disappeared from public memory,
Judge William C. Beverly, Jr. (Ret.), whose family arrived
in Los Angeles in 1897, began taking video histories of as
many pioneers and their descendants as he could find. In July,
2003, after sixty hours of video and over twenty hours of
oral histories, and several public presentations, Eighth &
Wall was formed to further this effort.
A nonprofit corporation fully qualified
under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3), Eighth &
Wall’s purpose is to present to the general public the
history of the people and cultures of Los Angeles through
art, literature and the media.
Increased diversity takes place today in
the face of increased isolation. At the same time, we exist
in a global community. More than ever, we need the facts that
it takes to get to know and to celebrate each other, and we
must learn them from each other. This starts with our history
at home and expands to the entire community. Undertaking this
task may be our nation’s greatest cultural emergency.
Eighth & Wall is dedicated to promoting the psychic connection
between our history and our celebration. It is on that foundation
that mutual respect is built.
About Our Name
In the first part of the 20th century, a two story building
stood on the northeast corner of the intersection of Eighth
Street and Wall. The first floor was occupied by Charlotta
Bass and the California Eagle newspaper. On the second
floor was a 100 square feet meeting hall used by the Odd Fellows.
In that hall, at 4:00 every Sunday afternoon, met the Forum.
This was a meeting of the black community run by strict parliamentary
rules and elected officers.
The Forum addressed issues of the day, such
as lack of public accommodation and employment opportunities,
humiliation inflicted in department stores and restrictive
covenants. It provided scholarship funds for Ralph Bunche,
Under Secretary General of the United Nations and winner of
the Nobel Peace Prize, Marian Anderson, the classical singer,
Bessie Burke, the first black school principal of Los Angeles,
and Ruth J. Temple, the first black female physician in the
state. The Forum reached such a degree of prominence that
politicians of all races throughout the state sought its support.
Today, almost no one remembers the Forum.
We consider this location, now occupied
by another city icon – The Flower Mart – to be the
cradle of a cultural awakening in Los Angeles. It spawns stories
of pride, respect and mutual support. By adopting the name
of this location of cultural energy, we assume the mantle
of telling its forgotten stories.
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