Where Do We Go From Here? Preserving Los Angeles’s Black Business History
Thursday, March 14th, 2019
1:00pm-3:00pm
Charles E. Young Research Library, Main Conference Room
What does the history of black entrepreneurship add to our understanding of black communities, politics, and economic life?
This roundtable brings together long-term business owners who were interviewed for the UCLA Center for Oral History Research’s recent interview series “Where Do We Go From Here? Histories of Long-Term Black Business Ownership, Community, and Family in Los Angeles County.” They’ll discuss the challenges and opportunities for black businesses, their own business strategies, and the contributions black businesses make to the larger African American community. They’ll also reflect on how black businesses might be documented and how oral history can contribute to those efforts.
RSVP HERE: lablackbusiness.eventbrite.com
Moderator: Yolanda Hester is a researcher and writer whose work has focused on public histories in Los Angeles’ African American community. She was the interviewer for the Center for Oral History Research’s series on black business ownership in Los Angeles County. Most recently, she has worked with the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and the William Grant Still Art Center researching and editing a project celebrating the forty-year history of the center’s Black Doll Show and is also collaborating on a project documenting the history of Operation Bootstrap and Shindana Toys, two organizations that grew out of the Watts Rebellion. She received her master’s degree in African American studies from UCLA.
Roundtable participants:
Vivian Bowers: Third-generation owner of Bowers & Sons Cleaners, a family business that has been in operation since the 1940s.
Carl Dickerson: Founder of Dickerson Employment Benefits, an insurance company that has been in existence since 1965.
Gregory Dulan: Second-generation restauranteur and owner of soul food restaurant Dulan’s on Crenshaw.
Kim L. Hunter: Founder of Lagrant Communications, a marketing communications agency, and Lagrant Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes diversity in the advertising, marketing, and public relations fields.
Gail Taylor: Third-generation owner of Woods Valentine Mortuary, which has been in operation since 1928.
William Taylor: Founder of A+ Moving, a moving and storage company founded in the early 1970s.
