Belmar History + Art Project

We are at a time in the United States' history that calls for a recognition of the contributions and achievements of people of color, not only in history books but also in real life, day-to-day events that wipe away stereotypes and privileges based on race and ethnicity. This moment makes the work of the artist April Banks and the historian Alison Rose Jefferson on the Belmar History + Art (BH+A) project extremely important—it documents the history and contributions of the African American community of Santa Monica, California. Banks has a background in architecture and environmental design that she uses to capture her audience's imagination in several ways, but mostly through art and community engagement. Jefferson's expertise in African American heritage conservation, and her book, Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era (2020), which includes a chapter about the Black communities of Santa Monica, underscore

African american · American history · Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Cultural heritage · Dream · Ethnic group · Ethnology · Performance art · Public history · Race (biology · Sociology · Visual art of the United States · Visual arts · American Environmental and Regional History · Anthropology · Architecture · Gender Studies · History · Photography and Visual Culture · Psychology