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1) Approval of the History & Culture Ad Hoc Subcommittee Recommendations, With Any Adjustments 2) Discuss the Role of the History & Culture Ad Hoc Subcommittee.
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Meeting Date: April 16, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Edgar Varela/Special Events Manager
Phone Number: (310) 253-5752
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Public Notification: (E-mail) Meetings and Agendas - Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission (04/10/2025); (E-mail) Parks, Recreation & Community Service Department Updates (04/10/2025)
Department Approval: Ted Stevens, PRCS Director (04/10/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and Juneteenth Celebration Advisory Committee 1) Approve the History & Culture Ad Hoc Subcommittee Recommendations, With Any Adjustments 2) Discuss the Role of the History & Culture Ad Hoc Subcommittee.
BACKGROUND
The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and Juneteenth Celebration Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee) is tasked with advising the Office of Economic and Cultural Development staff with the planning of the Juneteenth Celebration for 2025. On September 18, 2024, the History & Culture Ad Hoc Subcommittee was formed to help focus on what aspect of History and Culture can be brought to the Juneteenth Celebration.
Advisory Committee Ad Hoc Subcommittees
An “ad hoc” subcommittee serves only a limited or single purpose. It is not perpetual, and it is dissolved when its specific task is completed. An Ad Hoc Subcommittee may be formed or dissolved at any Commission meeting, as long as the discussion has been placed on the Agenda in advance. Once an Ad Hoc Subcommittee has been created, updates are typically given by Members. By consensus of the Commission, a separate Agenda Item is sometimes prepared and presented on a specific Ad Hoc Subcommittee’s topic or event.
The role of the History & Culture for Juneteenth and MLK Celebrations Ad Hoc Sub Committees should be determined by the Advisory Committee. As with all committees the History & Culture Ad Hoc Subcommittees must act with the oversight of the City Staff and Officials.
DISCUSSION
The Juneteenth History & Culture Ad Hoc Subcommittee is recommending:
• A paper "passport" that will guide visitors on their exploration of the features and displays of the celebration. When a minimum number of boxes are "checked off," the passport will serve as their ticket for food.
• Dulan's on Crenshaw be the purveyor of food for the event.
• The following activities for kids during the event:
1.Juneteenth coloring books.
2.Inviting a Black author to read from their children's book, which we will purchase in quantity and have on hand to distribute.
3.A Black doll-making activity where kids (and adults) can create dolls from start to finish.
• A series of fourteen Black American Historical Markers, printed on 12" x 18" foam boards, displayed throughout Ivy Station. Each foam board will name the historical period being referenced, include several lines of explanatory text, and feature a QR code linking to a short video (ranging from 2-13 minutes) on the topic.
The same information from these fourteen markers will also be displayed on a looping TV screen located in an area where people can sit and view (Attachment 1).
• A looping video display paying tribute to recently deceased Black Americans who made significant contributions to civil, social, and economic rights for Black people both here and abroad.
Those included in the video tribute will be Harry Belafonte, Nikki Giovanni, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Vernon Jordan Jr., and James Lawson Jr. For each individual, the screen will show their name, a photograph, a paragraph-length description of their contributions, and a QR code linking to a video about each person (Attachment 2)
FISCAL IMPACT
The Adopted Budget for fiscal year 2024-25 includes sufficient funding for catering and supplies needed for the Juneteenth Celebration 2025 in Account 10110500.610200(Economic Development/Marketing Services)
ATTACHMENTS
2025-04-16 ATT1 Black American History Markers
2025-04-16 ATT2 In Memoriam…Recently deceased Black Civil Rights Champions
MOTIONS
That the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and Juneteenth Celebration Advisory Committee:
Approve the History & Culture Ad Hoc Subcommittee Recommendations, With Any Adjustments.