Unearthing Stories in a Community

In recent years, there's been movement towards "virtual field trips", field trips where you don't need to be physically present to explore another world. Even though I don't think it can replace a physical field trip, where all five senses are engaged, it does open up a world that was previously inaccessible. Right now, the Museum of African Diaspora has a wonderful collection of youth digital stories that were released in conjunction with their current museum exhibit, "Lens on Life: From Bamako to San Francisco". They represent stories from all over the globe and take the reader through a vast history of what the African diaspora really means.

Meanwhile, at the Southern California Library, you can still enjoy the experience of a walking tour through the historic neighborhoods of southern Los Angeles. Once a hub of economic activity, these neighborhoods gained notoriety in recent years for the economic hardships and gang activity that plagued the area. Now, SCL is telling a different story, one of survival and hope. Multimedia to follow but for those of you in the LA area, you can catch their second walking tour this Saturday, June 16.