Though I’ve visited for years, my frequent trips to Leimert Park started a year ago while I was exploring the Los Angeles area with my camera. Leimert Park is a historic African American neighborhood, often coined as one of the largest West Coast hubs of Black culture. Its cultural breadth in relation to SoCal has been compared to Harlem’s to New York City. After witnessing the vivacity and frequent events there, like parades, festivals, drum circles, and jazz shows, I soon became a regular visitor.
I became interested in Leimert’s Sunday African markets. There are immigrants from Ethiopia, Senegal, West Africa, Haiti, Trinidad, Jamaica, alongside African Americans. On the weekends, they offer traditional clothing, art, food, and music for sale. The vendors often dress in ornate, native clothing, or wear their finest to celebrate the day. Each week, people make new friends, and old friends meet to have lunch or listen to the best drum circle in LA. The scenes on Sundays are a true celebration of life.
I have become friends with many of the people who frequent the market. If I see someone who piques my curiosity, whether it’s the goods they’re selling, the clothing they’re wearing, or the music they’re playing, I’ll strike up a conversation about just about anything to get them talking. I encourage them to talk about where they’re from and what they do, and soon enough we are sharing life stories.
When I ask to take a photograph, some people are skeptical at first. I always bring back prints the following week to redistribute. Oftentimes, people want to pay me for the prints, which I refuse. However, I’ve received some generous traded items in exchange: salmon tamales, BBQ, tee shirts, hats, sage, joints, a beard trim, bracelets, and, best of all, mutual respect.
Gimme five!
The photographs a great method of building friendships, but they are a resource that the vendors can use to promote their businesses. The photographs create a vibrant collection of character portraits that celebrate the neighborhood, its vivacity, and its residents. After a year, I’ve become a regular, and people greet me with fist bumps, handshakes, pats on the back, and, greatest of all, a request to take their photo.
Some of my new friends whose photos are featured here include Curtis, a vendor who sells Native Jajotu Soap using natural fruits, oils and herbs such as turmeric, eucalyptus and coffee. Another man can be found offering body oils, palo santo, beaded bracelets, sea moss, and raw eucalyptus and sage. Monty, aka Big M, sells delicious tamales stuffed with everything from salmon, jerk chicken to collard greens. Folks participating in Sengalese drum circles celebrating historical culture and dance showcase radical expressions of community and connection.
Mansa Moosa is a lead voice in the Africa Town Coalition, who is speaking up against gentrification of local Black business spaces in the neighborhood and has introduced me to other members of the community. Levi is a learned man in excellent health, and a great martial artist and yoga instructor. Other regulars like Roni, Father Made, and Ron Low share stories, experiences and traditions that are central to keeping the legacy of Leimert Park alive and thriving.
