Natalie Darakjian

ENGL176 | Thomas Gustafson

TA Jessica Somers

A. USC Scavenger Hunt and USC Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt

1. Provide the name and briefly describe the major political scandal that involved Edward
Doheny.

Edward Doheny was involved in the Teapot Dome Scandal that happened in the 1920s. It was
initiated because Albert Bacon Fall who, the secretary interior to President Harding, secretly
leased the federal oil reserves to Edward Doheny and Harry Sinclair. Fall persuaded the Navy
Secretary to transfer control of the Teapot Dome Oil Fields and then leased them for a price that
went straight to him.

2. Upton Sinclair, an author best known for his novel The Jungle (1905) set in Chicago,
wrote another compelling novel set in Southern California in the 1920s. It features a
student at Southern Pacific University who is the son of a man who made a fortune in oil.
The story of the father is based in part on the biography of Edward Doheny and Southern
Pacific University is very closely based on the University of Southern California. The
novel was published in 1927 and was very loosely adapted into a recent film directed by
Paul Thomas Anderson entitled “There Will Be Blood.”

(a) Name the title of this novel (a name that reveals the source of a power that Sinclair saw
beginning to rule the world and corrupt governments and initiate wars in the world).

The novel is called Oil!

(b) Review the short description of the plot of this novel in the Wikipedia entry for this
novel (use the title of the novel in your search), and then quote a sentence that best reveals--
or briefly describe in your own words—the primary source of the conflict between the
father and son in this novel

The primary source of conflict between father and son in the novel is that Bunny is put in a
conflicted situation between keeping his loyalty to his father and his realization that his father’s
approach is not ethical in the oil industry.

(c) In 1934, Upton Sinclair ran for Governor of California as a Socialist (and also on the
ticket of the Democratic Party), and he nearly won the election. A crucial part of his
campaign was a platform that went by the initials “E.P.I.C.” Spell out the word for each
letter in E.P.I.C.

E.P.I.C stands for End Poverty in California.

3. A statue of Robert Widney was recently placed in 2014 in front of Widney Alumni
House. Check out on publicartinla.com and
(a) Cite the quote that is on the plaque below this statue.

“In my wildest dreams, I never conceived anything as wonderful as this university” – Robert
Widney

4. Find the “About USC website” (about.usc.edu). Look for the section entitled History
and within that section locate and review the section “The Era of the Founders” to find
answers to the following item.

(a) Provide the names and ethnicity and religious affiliations of the three founders of USC
and briefly describe where each was born, their professions at the time USC was founded
(1880), and who or what brought them together to found the university.

The three founders are:

 Ozro W. Childs, a Protestant, who was born in Vermont. He was a horticulturalist at the
time USC was founded.
 John G. Downey, an Irish-Catholic, who was born in Country Roscommon in Ireland. He
was a pharmacist and businessman at the time USC was founded.
 Isaias W. Hellman, a German Jew, he was born in Bavaria. He was a banker and
philanthropist at the time USC was founded.
Downey was the president for Hellman’s Farmers and Merchants Bank that opened in 1871 and
Childs served on its board of trustees. Childs decided to sell Hellman and Downey his land in
West Los Angeles. After analyzing the land, they saw that it was not suitable for agriculture.
After their failed attempts to sell the land, they soon learned that the Methodists were searching
for a land to build a university on which is how the University of Southern California was
formed.

(b) Quote a sentence or two from the ad these three men placed in the Los Angeles Daily
Herald in September 1877 as cited in Frances Dinkelspiel’s Tower of Gold: How One Jewish
Immigrant Created California (posted on Blackboard). (The development of Los Angeles
after railroads connected LA to the Midwest in 1876 was boosted significantly by a P.R.
marketing campaign, a sales pitch that invoked images of paradise, Arcadia, a new Eden,
sunshine, and a garden world).

“Offers the best opportunity for delightful homesteads of any that has ever been offered for sale
to the public. The whole tract is level. The soil is excellent.”

5. (a) Briefly describe Joseph P. Widney’s association with USC or what position he had at
USC.

 In 1880, Joseph Pomeroy Widney joined USC’s board and also became the first faculty
member to work without compensation.
 He was the chair of English literature, physiology and hygiene.
 He also founded the Medical School at USC and was its dean.
 He became the second president of USC in 1892.
(b) Quote the first sentence from the excerpt of Joseph Widney’s Three Americas: Their
Racial Past and Dominant Racial Factors of Their Future (1935) (posted on Blackboard)
Consider the ideology of Widney lying behind his claim in this first sentence about what
1492 meant for the indigenous peoples of the Americas.

“The day of the discovery of the Americas by Columbus was the day of doom to their native
people.”

(c) Quote one sentence from the section in this excerpt entitled “The Future of the Third
America.”

“That its people will remain, in a great degree, under the care and control of the stronger race-life
of the main-land, can hardly be questioned.”

(c) Provide the title of a book written by Joseph P. Widney that has “race” and “Aryan” in
the title and briefly describe its subject

 The book is titled: “Race Life of the Aryan Peoples”.

 In it, Widney tells the story of the Aryan race, which is a hypothesized race that at the
time was assumed to be one of the main sub-groups of the Caucasian race. He discusses
their origins and how they formed their empire.

6. Former President of USC, Rufus VonKleinSmid (he served as president from 1921-
1947), wrote in 1913 a book entitled, Eugenics and the State, and in 1928 he became the
founding member of a eugenics organization.

Cite a sentence or two from Eugenics and the State (which can be found through a
footnote in the Wikipedia entry on Von KleinSmid) and provide the name and location of
the eugenics organization he helped to found and briefly describe its purpose.

“To pass pleasantries is excusable, and may do no harm. To ridicule is foolish, and is but the
careless hurling of the boomerang. To oppose is futile.”

He helped found the “Human Betterment Foundation” in Pasadena California. Its mission was to
inform the public on the United States’ compulsory sterilization legislation. They aimed to
promote educational and constructive forces that would protect the mind, body and character of
the people.

7. On site visit required. In an outside area located in back of the Fisher Museum of Art
and facing Exposition Park is a sculpture garden by Jenny Holzer entitled “Blacklist.” The
work of art contains words written by members of the Hollywood 10.

(a) Briefly describe who are the Hollywood 10

The Hollywood 10 are 10 motion-picture directors, screenwriters and producers, who in 1947 did
not answer questions about their affiliations with communism and were sent to prison for
disrespecting Congress. After they got out of prison, they were blacklisted from Hollywood
studios.

(b) Find and cite the text of Jenny Holzer’s explanation of this exhibit.

“This garden would have you think how hate and fear can poison daily life. It is a monument to
the First Amendment and a memorial to the creative artists and others who became victims of the
cold war. Blacklisting ended careers and ruined lives. It silenced public debate, undermined due
process and freedom of thought, and weakened the elaborate protections of the minority that
safeguard American liberty.”

(c) Cite one quote in this garden from one of the Hollywood 10 that you find interesting
and its author’s name.

“It is not surprising that writers and artists are selected for this indecent smear. Writers, artists,
scientists, educators are always the first victims of attack by those who hate democracy.” – John
Howard Lawson

(d) Cite the text of the quote by Paul Robeson that is part of the sculpture. This quote is on
one of the plaques on the ground surrounding the center of the sculpture garden.

“I am not being tried for whether I am a communist, I am being tried for fighting for the rights of
my people, who are still second-class citizens in this United States of America. You want to shut
up every negro who has the courage to stand up and fight for the rights of his people.” – Paul
Robeson

8. The Coliseum has hosted many historic events that have nothing to do with football
games

(a) Briefly describe a historic event that took place in the Coliseum in 1960 and involved
John F. Kennedy Jr. and give the name of the speech he gave at this event (a speech we will
study in the second half of the semester).

On July 15, 1960, John F. Kennedy was nominated for presidency in the Los Angeles Memorial
Sports Arena where the 1960 Democratic National Convention took place. On the 15th, Kennedy
gave his acceptance speech from the Coliseum and it is known as “The New Frontier”.

(b) Briefly name and describe a concert held in the Coliseum in 1972 and organized by
Stax Records (the concert was partly held in memory of the 1965 Watts Rebellion) and
name the song sung by either Kim Weston (there’s a YouTube video of her performance
introduced by a young a Jesse Jackson) or The Staples Singers.
The concert held in the Coliseum in 1972 organized by Stax Records is the Wattstax music
festival. It was held to commemorate the anniversary of 1965 Watts riots. It featured Stax
Record’s most prominent artists.

Kim Weston sung “The Star-Spangled Banner”.

9. Make a virtual visit online to the California African American Museum in Exposition
Park. (For an in-person visit, it’s open Tuesday through Sunday and is free to enter)

(a) Read the description for the “Trouble Every Day Exhibit,” which includes a Mixtape of
music about LA created by Prof. Josh Kun in the Annenberg School. The title of this
exhibit is taken from the song by the Mothers of Invention called “Trouble Every Day” and
nicknamed the “Watts Riot song”).

Quote a favorite line about the relationship of music to the politics at this time and then
check out the Mixtape playlist and select your favorite song from this Mixtape and very
briefly explain your choice. [Consider how music offers us invaluable ways to understand
and feel the emotions of historical events.]

My favorite line is: “The music born of the very conditions that precipitated the uprisings now
transcended South Los Angeles, giving its once marginalized music sudden legitimacy, and
major labels began signing and promoting West Coast artists such as Snoop Dogg and Tupac
Shakur.”

My favorite song from the mixtape is: To Live & Die in LA (Dragnet edit) by Tupac Shakur. I
believe the metaphors in the song are incredibly powerful as they help the audience visualize the
existing duality that exists in the image of Los Angeles. The song mentions all the different races
we find in LA and many of the problems the people face.

(b) describe the most interesting thing you discover in the “No Justice, No Peace: LA 1992
exhibit.

The most interesting thing I discovered was that I was unaware of the troubles the communities
of color still faced after the election of Tom Bradley as a mayor. It was enlightening to read and
see how hyper-criminalized black citizens were at the time. I specifically liked reading the
responses on actions people thought should be taken to unify our people. Unfortunately, after all
these years, we are still at a state where people of color face injustices and having a wall that
represents that showcases how bad the situation still is.

10. On site visit required. The Natural History Museum (free entrance to USC students
with an I.D.) opened in July 2013 a new permanent exhibit in the museum entitled
“Becoming Los Angeles.” The original exhibit stopped its story of Los Angeles at the
World War 2 era. The exhibit recently has been enlarged and improved. It now gives
more extensive attention to Native American Los Angeles and is updated to include exhibits
and displays about the Watts Uprising of 1965 and contemporary Latino Los Angeles. It
also makes wonderful use of Touch Screens to explore and discover more about Los
Angeles. Please complete the following four entries

(a) describe the favorite thing you learn about Native American Los Angeles

I thought the Tongva were very interesting to learn about. I learned that they had religious based
beliefs but did not in hell or the devil until after Spanish missionaries bought the idea forth. They
also had visions of their animal protectors that gave them a spiritual nature.

(b) Check out the exhibit about the race/ethnicity of the people who founded the Pueblo of
Los Angeles in 1781. Note the way the people were categorized in the language of ethnicity
of this early era. Briefly describe these categorizations.
 The Spaniards born in Old Spain were known as the Peninsular
 The Spaniards born in New Spain were known as Criollo
 The people that were a mix between Indian and Spanish were known as Mestizo
 The black people of full African descent were known as Negro
 The people that were a mix between Black and Spanish were known as Mullatos
 The people that were of Indian American origins were known as Indios

(c) Describe your favorite item in this “Becoming LA” exhibit from the periods after 1781
and before 1980.

As an architecture major, my favorite item has to the city model built of downtown Los Angeles.
I’m personally so used to seeing Los Angeles from ground level with all the buildings hovering
over me that seeing it from an aerial view really provided a new perspective to it. The model
showcases how city planners would have improved the infrastructure of the city with new roads
and bridges etc. It is very different from what Los Angeles actually looks like now, but I could
spot City Hall and the plaza.

(d) Ofelia Esparza and Rosanna Ahrens created an Ofrenda entitled “Altar to the Pueblo
de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles. Study this remarkable Ofrenda carefully and
select your favorite item that is featured in it.

My favorite item is the Black Jazz band on the front row of the altar. I almost want to here the
music playing while I look at it. I thought it was an excellent element to add to represent Los
Angeles because on every walk I have of Downtown LA, I have some musical performance on
the streets and the saxophone is a recurrent one I’ve encountered.

11. Next to the space for the “Becoming LA Exhibit” is a special exhibit space that once
featured (from 2017-summer 2019) Barbara Carrasco’s mural, “L.A. History: A Mexican
Perspective.”
Carrasco’s work of art was commissioned by the LA Community Redevelopment Agency
to be part of the 1981 Bicentennial of the Pueblo of Los Angeles. The mural contained 51
scenes from LA’s history. The Redevelopment Agency considered 14 of the scenes too
controversial and asked Carrasco to revise this work of art. She refused to do so.
The exhibit at the museum was entitled “Sin Censura” (without censorship) because it
displayed the complete work of art. The exhibit included a Touch Screen that enabled
visitors to learn about each item depicted in this work of art.
Google this work of art, view it, and describe two of the scenes that the Bicentennial
Community Redevelopment Agency and the Bicentennial Commission wanted to censor.

Two of the scenes they wanted to censor were the World War II Japanese American
incarceration where individuals of Japanese descent were forcefully removed after the Pearl
Harbor, and the Zoot Suit Riots where Navy workers attacked Mexican American Youth. These
scenes were censored because Caruso refused to whitewash them.

12. There are eight statues on top of Bovard Auditorium.

(a) Provide the names of the eight people—including the two presidents of the USA-- whose
statues are on the top of Bovard (hint this information can be found on one of the historical
info plaques near Tommy Trojan).

The names of the eight people whose statues are on top of Bovard Auditorium are:
 John Wesley
 Bishop Matthew Simpson
 Abraham Lincoln
 Theodore Roosevelt
 Marcus Tullius Cicero
 Plato
 Phillips Brooks
 Borden P. Bowne

(b) All the statutes depict white men. If you were to “diversify” the statues on top of
Bovard, suggest the names of two people with some association with USC or Los Angeles
who you would add as figures overseeing the campus of USC and observing and measuring
today its commitment to inclusion and diversity. [Note: USC has a favorite story, or myth,
about its history that it was committed to “diversity” at its origins, a story that former
President Sample and other USC administrators have loved to cite (and that I questioned
in a letter written in November, 2015 to former Provost Michael Quick posted on
Blackboard)].

I would add John Alexander Somerville who was the first Black Graduate from the USC School
of Dentistry. He is also considered to be the first representation of diversity at the school.

I would also add Judge Robert Widney as he is said to have taken a stance against a mob during
anti-Chinese riots.

13. Dr. J. Alexander Somerville was the first USC student of African descent to graduate
from USC (from the Dental School in 1913) and in Fluor Tower there is a special-interest
floor for African Americans named after him.
(a) Describe one of Somerville’s civic accomplishments.

Somerville after facing financial struggles with the crash of the stock market, became the first
Black delegate in the California Democratic National Convention. He became a pillar in the
community that bought the Black and Anglo communities together. He also gave the black
community a voice and represented them in the police force especially in cases of hostility
towards racial minorities.

(b) Cite at least one sentence from the comments he made to his Dental school class (as
contained in his autobiography A Man of Color (excerpt posted on Blackboard)

“I think I was the only person present who heard the teacher’s lecture, and I am sure the only one
who took notes. The others were whispering among themselves.”

(c) Cite one sentence from one of the last five paragraphs of the excerpt from this
autobiography posted on Blackboard.

‘”One of the characteristics of most southern white people is that they carry their prejudices
wherever they go, and insist upon establishing them in any community where they live.”

14. The USC School of Cinematic Arts displayed until very recently a statue and exhibit
honoring actor John Wayne on the 2nd floor of the George Lucas Building [900 West 34th
Street] entitled “The Wayne Collection.” The exhibit became stirred controversy in fall
2019. The Cinema School (SCA) hosted a discussion between students and the school in
hopes of finding solutions to concerns about the racism of John Wayne (and racial politics
of some of his movies, particularly Westerns and one about the Vietnam War).

Here is a summary and quotes from of an article in Variety from October 9, 2019 on this
exhibit and the controversy.

“The conversation was ignited after USC film student Eric Plant displayed a banner
outside of the film school reading, “By keeping Wayne’s legacy alive, SCA is endorsing
white supremacy.” In a 1971 interview with Playboy, Wayne, who attended USC in the
1920s, stated, “I believe in white supremacy. We can’t all of a sudden get down on our
knees and turn everything over to the leadership of the Blacks.”

In the same interview, Wayne said about Native Americans: “I don’t feel we did
wrong in taking this great country away from them. Our so-called stealing of this country
from them was a matter of survival. There were great numbers of people who needed new
land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.”

As Variety reports, “Students [in SCA] came up with a series of recommendation in

response to the exhibit, including displays featuring people of color in film, an exhibit
reframing the Western as a genre, or an interactive exhibit with student voices.”
 Film critics and historians have said that the Western movie genre (the one genre of
movie that the USA is most responsible for inventing) began by making a heroic legend out of a
genocide.

(a) The exhibit has now been removed into the Library archives for the Cinema School.
See what you can find about this exhibit and briefly describe the most interesting (or
controversial) thing you find in this exhibit when it was displayed.

In an article by the Daily Trojan, the discuss how SCA first decided to remove a couple of items
from the exhibition as an attempt to fix the situation. However, I think that’s more of an attempt
to try and cover the situation with a temporary problem. By dealing with situations through these
temporary fixes, they didn’t give the issue enough importance which is disappointing. This
issue’s importance is extremely high as the John Wayne controversy is not only a problem that
arised in SCA, but Orange County Democrats have also looked at changing the name of the John
Wayne Airport because of it.

15. Provide a very brief profile of three current members of the Board of Trustees of
USC in which you indicate their occupation, their profession, and their title.

Three current members of the Board of Trustees of USC are:

 Stephanie A. Argyros works in real estate and is currently the principal of Arnel
Development.
 Marc R. Benioff is an internet entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the chair and co-
CEO of Salesforce
 Corii D. Berg works in the entertainment industry and is the Executive Vice President
and General Counsel in Lionsgate Entertainment, Inc.

(b) Briefly review the profiles of the Board of Trustees and suggest one of the primary ways
in which at least some of these Trustees made their money.

A common theme is their occupation which leans more towards the business and real-estate side.
They’re all USC alumni and a lot of them are multi-generational trojans. They’ve had a great
amount of wealth already passed down to them which makes it easier for them to achieve their
goals. Other than that, it seems like some are working at a top firm for a couple of years and
getting promoted to reach higher paying positions every couple of years.

16. Where is the Dosan Ahn Chang Ho house located and briefly describe the significance
of Dosan Ahn Chang Ho in terms of his political activism in Korea and his civic
engagement in San Francisco and when he lived in the United States (this can be found in
his Wikipedia entry). (There is a memorial for him in Riverside, California, and he has a
Post Office, a Square, and a freeway interchange named after him in Los Angeles, and he
was inducted in 2012 into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in Atlanta,
Georgia.)

The Dosan Ahn Chang Ho was originally located southwest of campus on McClintock Avenue
but changed locations to house the Korean Studies Institute after an expansion by USC. Dosan
Ahn Chang Ho is one of the most prominent and respected Korean leaders. In San Francisco, he
and four others initiated the first Korean independence movement. He made key efforts in
educational reforms and modernizing. In Korea, he also established the New Korea Society
known as Shinminhoe and fought the Japanese occupation through his organization.

17. Research Bert Corona.

(a) In what decade did Bert Corona attend USC?

He attended USC in the 1930s.

(b) Give a brief description of some of his accomplishments as a political activist in Los
Angeles.

Some of Corona’s accomplishments as a political activist in Los Angeles were his work of
CASA which brought U.S born Mexican Americans and immigrant workers together. He also
helped in gaining an amnesty program for undocumented workers in his position in Hermandad
Mexicana Nacional. He also continuously worked on changing immigration policies.

(c) Cite 1-3 sentences from Memories of Chicano History: The Life and times of Bert Corona
(posted on Blackboard) from the section entitled “University of Southern California”
where he describes examples of the racism he confronted at this university.

“Kuhn, despite his All-American stature, was not allowed to join a fraternity once it was known
that he was part Mexican. The teachers, once they knew that you were Mexican, were either
patronizing or hostile. I did not have a single inspirational professor during my time at USC.”

18. Who is Latino leader who has a monument honoring him in Founders Park and listing
the dates he appeared on the USC campus? The leader is quoted on the monument as
saying, “The end of all education is…..” Complete the quotation.

 Cesar Estrada Chavez is honored through this monument.

 The quote states: “The end of all education should surely be service to others”.

19. Visit the mural by Judith Baca in the Ronald Tutor Campus Center on the 4th floor in
the Graduate Student Lounge.

(a) briefly describe the mural and its theme.

The mural is centered around this image of Los Angeles. At its center is a river over land that
changes into a freeway and the back to a river. There’s a central opening in the composition and
on the right side is a tribe of people who look like they are I pain. A central theme I see is the
connectivity of all sources where the river and freeway are connected as they sustain each other.
Moreover, these spirit like characters emerging from the land showcase how the people and the
land are one.
20. In my opinion, Carey McWilliams is the USC alumnus most distinguished for his
cultural and intellectual accomplishment. (No other alumnus comes closes)

(a) In what decade did Carey McWilliams attend USC?

He attended USC in the 1920s.

(b) List the titles two books he wrote about some aspect of California culture and politics
besides Southern California: Island on the Land (1946).

 California: The Great Exception

 Fool’s Paradise

(c) McWilliams was also a political activist. Describe one of his civic/social activist
accomplishments.

He worked hand in hand with the left-political wing and took the head of the California’s
Immigration and Housing Department. In this position, he was able to improve agricultural
salaries and working conditions.

(d) Quote a line from Southern California: Island on the Land or from any of his writings
posted on Blackboard about USC or Los Angeles. (Note in one of his groundbreaking
multicultural studies of America, his book Brothers Under the Skin (1943), he argued that a
study of racial prejudice in America must begin with prejudice directed at Native
Americans by the first explorers and settlers of America from Europe.)

Quote from Southern California: Island on the Land: “Here the American people were erupting,
like lava from a volcano; here, indeed, was the place for me – a ringside seat at the circus”.

21. Research and briefly describe the history of the space that is now the University Village
complex. The best story about this can be found in USC Trojan Family in an essay
entitled “Below USC Village….”

The LA Times can also be searched for stories about the changes in this site in the 21st
century.

(a) Describe something that occupied this space before WW 2.

The space was occupied with a nursery, a theater on Jefferson. The theater was known as the
University Theater initially but changed names a couple of times.

(b) Describe something that occupied this space since WW 2 and 2015.

The space was occupied with a Tuxedo Center and Hensley Jewelers. The new shopping center
opened which contained Tam’s, Silverwoods, a men’s clothing shop and more.
22. Edward Doheny Sr. was one of the wealthiest people in Los Angeles at the turn of the
20th Century. He lived in home that is now the administration building for Mount St. Mary
(the college located on the other side of Adams across from the USC campus (and
Kerckhoff Hall) and near the intersection of Adams and Figueroa. You can obtain
information about Doheny’s home (used often as a film location) by Googling. It is also
open to a docent led tour once a month.

(a) Google “dohenymansion.com” to check out the Doheny mansion on Chester Place
(inside the Mount St. Mary’s campus) and provide a brief description of the Pompeian
room inside this mansion (depicted on the website), built in 1899 and purchased by Doheny
in 1901.

The room has a glass down at its center decorated with art glass panels. The floor has a
geometric pattern that accompanies the flow of the dome through its centralized aesthetic. The
dome is surrounded with large columns. The room itself is fairly empty with a piano in the
middle.

B. Downtown L.A. Scavenger Hunt

23. Located in a building on Olvera Street is América Tropical Interpretive Center, which
provides access on its roof to see a mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros, which he painted in
1932 on the exterior wall of the Italian Hall. The mural has recently been restored and
opened to the public. Do a virtual visit to the Interpretive Center and check out the mural
and briefly describe its subject and symbolism. [This center has restricted hours: It is open
10 am-3:00 pm Tuesday-Sunday and closed on Monday.]

The Mural is titled “La America Tropical”. At the center of the mural is a crucified Indian figure
and above his head is an American eagle. On the right side of the mural are two shooters that are
aiming their guns at the eagle. The location seems to be ruins of a temple that is surrounded by a
forest of trees. The mural symbolizes how Americans took over the native land of Indians which
is why the eagle is on top of the crucifix. The shooters symbolize the Indians defending
themselves from dying.

24. Do a virtual visit to the Chinese American Museum at 425 N. Los Angeles Street and
describe a current exhibit. [It is open 10 am—3:00 pm, Tuesday through Sunday.]

The exhibit I chose is “Origins: The Birth and Rise of Chinese American Communities in Los
Angeles”. The exhibit tells the story of the growth of the Chinese Community in Los Angeles. It
first walks us through the immigration story and its stages. It takes on the shape of an actual store
called the “Sun Wing Wo” store, it serves as a prime example of how self-sufficient the Chinese
community was, especially at time of discrimination. It also contains a herb shop where they
were able to work on their traditional form of healthcare.

25. Describe the subject of the set of 4 murals by the artist Jim Doolin that can be found in
the Metro Headquarters Building Lobby in the Gateway Transit Center located at the
eastern end of Union Station or One Gateway Plaza. (The fourth mural is on the second
floor.) You can do a virtual visit to this building and its murals.

The collection of the three murals on the first floor in the Gateway Transit Center showcase the
stages of growth Los Angeles has undergone. It shows how we started with this intial railroad
and how the city has grown since with the evolution of our building systems and transportation
methods. On the other hand, the fourth mural depicts what the future of Los Angeles could look
like in these upcoming years.

26. Grand Park has several significant memorials including: Sakura Grove, a Ukrainian
Genocide Memorial, a Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a statue of George Washington, a
Mosaic law statue, and one entitled “Paseo de Los Pobladores de Los Angeles.”

a. Google and then describe the subject of the sculpture “Paseo de Los Pobladores de Los
Angeles.”

“Paseo de Los Pobladores de Los Angeles” is about thTe journey of the 44 settlers form Los
Alamos, Sonora who founded Los Angeles. The memorial shows the route the settlers took to
reach Los Angeles and they were known as “Los Pobladores”.

27. A history of Southern California is depicted in a bas relief mural incised on the
Broadway side of the Los Angeles Times parking structure (Broadway and 2nd). Note:
Since 2018, The Los Angeles Times no longer occupies this building (its offices were moved
to El Segundo near LAX airport). The bas relief mural is called “The Evolution of Los
Angeles.” Make a virtual visit to this mural.

a) The mural includes three statements by Los Angeles notables, including one made by
Otis Chandler (founder of the LA Times) in 1901 and one by Henry F. Huntington in 1920
that reads, “….I believe that Los Angeles is destined to become the most important city in
this country, if not in the world.” Quote the one by Otis Chandler.

“Los Angeles… and all of Southern California is destined to become the greatest metropolitan
area the world has ever known” – Otis Chandler

28. In the Post-apocalyptic Los Angeles film noir Blade Runner, J.F. Sebastian, the "Toy
Maker" lived with his creations in this apartment. The final scene between Rick Deckard -
Blade Runner and the Roy Batty – Replicant also took place here. Do a virtual visit to this
building and find and describe something about the inside architecture of this building,
which was built near the end of the 19th century and is located at 304 S. Broadway.

The scene is filmed in the Bradbury Building in Downtown Los Angeles. The inside of the
building has a Victorian court which brings light it and bounces off the black ornate iron railings.
The elevators are see through which brings openness to the space in the narrow hallway.

29. She was one of the first African American philanthropists in the City of Angels who
now has a set of plaques erected in her honor at a park located between Broadway and
Spring streets at 3rd Street (333 South Spring Street). Visit this memorial to Biddy Mason
virtually. Provide the name of this extraordinary woman and a brief description of the
information on the plaques.

Biddy Mason’s real name is Bridget Mason. The plaques talk about her actions as an activist and
voice for all slaves. She held a meeting at her house to create the first African Methodist Church
in Los Angeles. She took a great number of slaves to a state of freedom as declared by Judge
Hayes.

30. Do a virtual visit to the Japanese American National Museum at 369 E. First St. and
describe an exhibit. [Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm, and Thursday 12-8 pm.]

The exhibit I chose is “Common Ground: The Heart of Community” and it is about the
experience of the Japanese American Society. It showcases the Japanese American soldier story
and that of the discrimination they faced. It also demonstrates the mass incarceration the
Japanese community faced after Pearl Harbor. The stories of the concentrations camps is
included. There also is an article that shows the propaganda that was spread around which
discussed the difference between Japanese and Chinese people.

31. Three historic movie theaters are located on Broadway at the following addresses: 615
S. Broadway, 842 S. Broadway, and 933 S. Broadway. Search out an image of the inside of
one of these theaters through a Google Image search and briefly describe the interior.
Check out also the Last Remaining Seats program presented by the Los Angeles
Conservancy (this program hosts a series of movie showings at classic movie palaces in Los
Angeles in the month of June). Check out also the website for the Ace Hotel, which was
recently converted into a hotel from one of the movie palaces.

The inside of 615 Broadway is heavily decorated. The seats are covered with a red velvet fabric.
The ceiling and walls are heavily ornamented with statues and paintings. The carpet is red which
a gold pattern based on what part of the theater you’re in. The room is surrounded with large
columns.

32. A passage Carey McWilliams’ great study of Los Angeles, Southern California: Island
on the Land (1947), which is from one of the assigned essays in this class, can be found on a
brown wall in the remodeled Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles (across from The
Biltmore Hotel). Through Googling, find the passage and quote a short bit of it. I consider
McWilliams the most distinguished alumnus for his or her cultural and intellectual
accomplishments). The wall is located on the south side of this street.

“My feeling about this weirdly inflated village in which I had come to make my home
(haunted by memories of a boyhood spent in the beautiful mountain parks, the
timberline country, of northwestern Colorado), suddenly changed after I had lived in
Los Angeles for seven long years of exile. I have never been able to discover any
apparent reason for this swift and startling conversion, but I do associate it with a
particular occasion.” – Carey McWilliams
33. Provide the inscription high above the North side entrance to the library on 5th Street
(between Grand and Flower) to the Central Public Library. The word “books” is in this
inscription. You can find this out through a virtual visit or virtual tour to the library. The
tour is entitled: “360 Tour of Central Library.”

“Books invite all, they constrain none”

34. Google “The Great Wall of Los Angeles” completed under the direction of the artist
Judy Baca.

(a) Briefly describe this wall and select your favorite mural panel in this mural composed
of many panels.

The Great Wall of Los Angeles is an iconic pictorial representation of the different ethnic groups
in California and their history. It showcases how diverse Los Angeles through representing
groups such as Native Americans, LGBTQ+ community, civil rights activists, and other minority
groups whom all are often times overlooked. My favorite mural panel is that of Biddy Mason.
You can truly feel her story in it and see how far she has taken the Black community and freed
them from slavery. The mural depicts the harsh paths she and others had to take to freedom. Her
portrait on top of the path showcases the importance she holds in our community.

35. Google Sandow Birk’s series of paintings, “The Rise and Fall of Los Angeles,” and
provide a brief description of the story presented in this set of five paintings.

Sandow Brik’s paintings tell the story of how Western Civilization has grown throughout
history, specifically that of Los Angeles. It starts with prehistoric time with the dinosaurs, to that
of our pastoral society, then to our consumer-based living. The fourth painting shows how
consumerism will lead to the destruction of our society and that it will then reach a level of
isolation and piece after everything has disappeared.

36. Do some Googling and discover and explore some documentaries about Los Angeles.

(a) Provide a brief (one or two sentence) description of one of the following documentaries
about Los Angeles: (1) “Zoot Suit Riots” (PBS), (2) “L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years
Later,” (3) “Los Angeles Plays Itself”; (4) “Uprising: Hip Hop and the LA Riots”; (5)
“Clash of Colors: The 1992 Riots from the Korean American Perspective”

The Zoot Suits Riots documentary is about the discrimination Mexican Americans have faced.
The Zoot Suit Riots are a series of protests and riots by Mexican teens that started from the tragic
murder of a Mexican man and false trial and how they stood up against government actions that
were unjust.

(b) Select one of these documentaries and view at least a portion of it (10-20 minutes) and
describe the most interesting thing you learned from viewing the documentary. Some are
available on the English 176 YouTube Playlist.
Zoot Suit Riots: The most interesting thing I learned from watching 10 minutes of this
documentary was their choice of wording for each other. For example, they referred to each
other as “mad cats” and “zoot-suiters” and used sentences such as “frantic as the Atlantic”. It
was interesting to see the rhyming sentences used and how intense they got when speaking with
one another. You could feel for the through their specific choice of words.

37. Google the series of short documentaries (approximately 20 minutes long) about LA
entitled “Lost Los Angeles” created in cooperation between KCET and the USC Library.
Each documentary draws upon archival material in USC Libraries and involve interviews
with a range of people including some USC professors. Three of the documentaries were
shown on KCET in 2016 and another five in 2017.

Select one of the following documentaries in this series to view in its entirety and
comment about the most interesting thing you learn about LA in this documentary. The
titles for the episodes are: “Borderlands,” “Coded Geographies,” “Dream Factory,”
“Before the Dodgers,” “Pacific Rim.”

I watched “Dream Factory” and it was really interesting to watch the involvement of woman
change from the time we live in now and how it was before. Dream factory portrays it as them
having a lot of control on the creative reigns which I personally did not know before as I thought
they had almost no say.

38. Explore the YouTube playlist for English 176 and select your favorite song about Los
Angeles in this playlist and briefly connect it to a reading for the course.

My favorite song is “To Live and Die in LA” by Tupac and that is because of the dichotomy that
is portrayed in Los Angeles through the song. It talks about how most people dream of coming to
L.A but there’s so many problems that are constantly present. I relate this to Christopher
Isherwood’s “ California is a tragic country” as the reading discusses how people believe it is a
land portrayed just like the movies but in reality it has a lot of underlaying layers of
discrimination and prejudice.

39. Give the title of the mural by Judith Baca in the Ronald Tutor Campus Center (on the
4th floor in the Graduate Student Lounge), and briefly describe the mural. (I recommend a
site visit to this mural.)

Answered before in #19

40. Do a search of the following Instagram Account: profthomasgla. Check out the
Instagram accounts followed. Select and briefly explain the account that you find most
interesting and something specific in that account. (If you don’t have an Instagram
account, create your own scavenger hunt item prompt about LA and answer it.)
The account I find most interesting is @metro.art.la I think you can truly see people’s stories
highlighted in them. In work of art is a mural of voices that only needs to be unleashed. Often
times, pictorial representations speak louder than words and I think this account does so exactly.

Jenny Holzer: Blacklist

The most interesting part of this scavenger hunt was Jenny Holzer’s Blacklist behind the

Fisher Museum. Since the beginning of the semester, I’ve been spending my breaks in between

my classes in that sculpture garden as the architecture school is right by it, but never once have I

noticed the meaning behind the sculpture. I walk in that garden a lot but I have never stopped to

dissect the quotes on the floor as I didn’t think they were gravitating enough visually.

Unfortunately, that’s a metaphor I believe encapsulates a lot of the problems Los Angeles is

facing. Often times problems and events that will one day make history happen right in front of

us, but we do not put in the time and effort to see that. This leads to the rise of various injustices

because of how we refuse to take action on such discrimination and prejudice.

Its unfathomable how many innocent people were blacklisted, harassed, jobless and homeless

just because they exercised their right to the First Amendment. When you’re standing in that

circular garden, walking down the pathways, it does not matter what race, ethnicity, gender or

group you belong to as you can resonate with people’s stories and feel their pain. The layout of

the sculpture helped in conveying this powerful message. The beginning of each path began with

a brick-colored stone and on it, Holzer included the conflicting view-points of people of good-

will. As you continue walking down the path, you start reading the stories of those affected by

the blacklisting which all unite in the center. This creates the metaphor that no matter where

these people came from, they are all submerged with the same fate that unites them and thus they

must stand together.

 The quote that spoke to me the most was the quote by John Howard Lawson, one of the

Hollywood 10 which states: “It is not surprising that writers and artists are selected for this

indecent smear. Writers, artists, scientists, educators are always the first victims of attack by

those who hate democracy.” As an artist myself, I have a lot of empathy for the Hollywood 10.

The creative community often takes the first punch when people look for culprits to problems

that are engraved more deeply in our society. I believe creatives are the only ones brave to

enough to showcase truths in our society which most are too afraid to touch base on.

Unfortunately, we are the ones who face the consequences for voicing our thoughts.