Hidden Hi story Black Museum Opens in Los Angeles

By Lee Hubbard

While the rain stormed down all day in the Jefferson Park area of Los Angeles, it could not damper the excitement of the grand opening of the Hidden History Museum of Black culture, this past weekend.

Various actors and celebrities such as Vivica A. Fox, and hundreds of other people, were on hand to celebrate the last weekend of Black History Month. Founded by Tariq Nasheed, an award-winning documentary film producer and New York Times best-selling author, the Hidden History Museum highlights current and past historical Black figures from freedom fighters, to inventors, master teachers, to founding pioneers in Black California, as well as Hip-Hop culture on the West Coast.

One example of this is an exhibit that looks at the naming of the state California, which was named after Califa, a queen who was a Black Moor. The Spanish writer Garci Rodriguez wrote the novel in 1500, and although Califa was a fictional character, when Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, founded it in 1542, he named the area after the character in the novel.

“Stories like this are featured in the museum and i t’s needed,” said Utopia Hammond, a San Francisco resident, who came to the grand opening. “People need to know our Black history and this museum features things and people that aren’t normally talked about and or featured in other museums.”

“I decided to start this museum after I was driving down Crenshaw Boulevard and saw that people were using the site where Nipsey Hussle got shot and killed as a tourist attraction,” said Nasheed. “On any given day, you can see crowds of people taking pictures in front of the mural that has Nipsey’s face on it.”

Hussle was a popular and emerging rap artist who was just coming into national acclaim when he was shot down in front of his clothing store March 31, 2019. The makeshift Nipsey Hussle memorial and daily scene behind it pushed Nasheed to create a place where people can see positive affirmations of black culture and tell the stories of black history that aren’t told.

“We need to create institutions that we as Black people and or Black groups own and control the narrative,” said Nasheed.

People came from all over the country for the grand opening. They also got to watch the premiere of Nasheed’s new documentary film, “American Maroon,” which looks at

In honor of labor rights activist César Chávez, the County’s Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement (OLSE) and the State of California’s Labor Commissioner’s Office announced on Thursday, March 23 that they’re stepping up efforts to help workers get the pay they’re due

Board Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer said workers can’t always fight wage theft themselves because they’re too busy trying to take care of their families. But said these workers have an ally at the County. She pointed to the new Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement and a proposed wage theft fund. The DA’s office opened a Workplace Justice Division in 2021 and learned from the community that when it comes to wage theft, people don’t really know it’s a crime the Black people who maintained hidden communities while fighting with slave-owning colonizers preCivil War. Nasheed spent just under $2 million to build the Hidden History Museum.

“When your wages are stolen, if they’re under $950 that is still a crime, a misdemeanor crime,” said District Attorney Summer Stephan. “But if it’s over $950, that’s a felony crime that your DA’s office is going to bring and there’s real accountability. The state is also making changes to make sure workers know their rights, especially those in underserved communities. It launched an outreach campaign called “Reaching Every Californian.” The Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement reaches out to educate workers and businesses countywide on their rights and responsibilities, too.

“We’ve also created the Fair Place Collaborative bringing together both businesses and worker advocacy organizations and stakeholders to help chart the course for our office,” said Brandon Butler, Deputy Director, County’s Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement. “We developed new policies with our County Department of Purchasing and Contracting to implement anti wage theft rules within our key contracting procedures. And we also ensured that County contract vendors comply with workers’ rights laws here in the county.

During last Thursday’s event, a proclamation was presented to a close County partner, the director of the Employee Rights Center, Alor Calderon. The news conference also kicked off a Week of Action designed to educate people about workers’ rights.

For additional information on workers’ rights and how to file a claim, you can reach the County Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement through its advice line at 619-985-1597 or at OLSE@sdcounty.ca.gov.

“The Black grassroots supported my vision and this effort,” said Nasheed. “We wanted to have the museum over in Leimert Park, a black district in LA, but when we tried to buy property there were several roadblocks, before we got to Jefferson Park.”

The Hidden History Museum is located at 2131 W Jefferson Blvd. in Los Angeles Ca. For more information, go to http://www.hiddenhistorymuseum.com