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City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs Celebrates 75 Years of Black History Month Legacy with Our Authors Study Club
Los Angeles — The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) is proud to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the partnership of the Our Authors Study Club (OASC), with L.A. mayors to celebrate Black History Month in Los Angeles. Since its founding in 1945, OASC has been dedicated to uplifting Black culture and literature, promoting the works of Black authors, scholars, and artists, and fostering an environment of learning, inspiration, and cultural pride.
For eight decades, OASC has played a pivotal role in curating events that honor the contributions of African Americans to the cultural, social, and intellectual fabric of Los Angeles. The City of Los Angeles has a long-standing partnership with OASC, which annually hosts one of the city’s most significant Black History Month celebrations.
“Today, we acknowledge Our Authors’ Study Club’s 75 years of inspiring minds, preserving history, and celebrating the richness of Black literature and culture,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “Our Authors’ Study Club was founded to pursue Carter G. Woodson’s vision of creating and disseminating knowledge about Black history across the nation, and the Club’s dedication to education and empowerment has left an indelible mark on our community. I commend the members of Our Authors’ Study Club on honoring the past, embracing the present, and shaping the future for generations to come.”
“For 75 years, Our Authors Study Club has uplifted Black history, turning voices into vision, labor into legacies, and knowledge into inspirations,” added Los Angeles City Council President and Councilmember for Council District 8, Marqueece Harris-Dawson.
“For more than three-quarters of a century, Our Authors Study Club has been a beacon of knowledge, advocacy, and empowerment, preserving and celebrating the rich contributions of Black authors, scholars, and historical figures,” said Daniel Tarica, General Manager of the Department of Cultural Affairs. “The Club’s deep commitment to education, literature, and civil rights has uplifted generations and has inspired countless individuals to understand and appreciate the importance of Black history.”
“As we mark 75 years of partnership with the City of Los Angeles and its Mayor for the Celebration of Black History in 2025, we honor those who transformed free and unfree, skilled, and unskilled, vocational and voluntary labor into an extraordinary legacy,” said Dr. Lura Daniels-Ball, President of Our Authors Study Club. “Their hands built more than buildings—they constructed futures. Their voices reached beyond grievances to articulate visions of justice.”
The milestone celebration will feature a series of special events, including art exhibitions, discussions with authors, conversations with cultural leaders, a worship service, bus tours of historic sites, and an oratorical contest. In addition, the 2025 African American Heritage Month Calendar and Cultural Guide, produced by the Department of Cultural Affairs, includes many free and low-cost events and activities for all ages. The publication features poetry, artworks, a bibliography of book selections for all ages, and articles highlighting the Cultural Treasures of South Los Angeles. To download a copy of the 2025 Calendar and Heritage Guide, please visit: www.oascla.org, or at culture.lacity.gov.
This year’s publication features the artwork of Sylvia Woodbridge, a local artist born in South Los Angeles. Her pastel painting, Hotel Dunbar, was inspired by a desire for others to recognize the historic significance of the landmark. The Dunbar Hotel was once the most prestigious hotel constructed for Black American visitors to Los Angeles during the City’s Jim Crow era. It was the “hub of Los Angeles black culture” and the heart of the bustling Central Avenue jazz scene in the 1930s and ‘40s. To learn more about Ms. Woodbridge’s artworks, follow her on Instagram @kizzy5u.
This year’s Black History Month events are listed at https://oascla.org/events. Reservations are required for all public events – www.oascla.org/rsvp. For more information, call 213.770.0399.
ABOUT OUR AUTHORS STUDY CLUB
The Our Authors Study Club (OASC) represents a powerful legacy in American cultural preservation and advancement. Founded in 1945 by Vassie Davis Wright and Terminal Annex Postal employees, this organization emerged from a crucial need to document and celebrate African American literary and historical contributions. Within months of its founding, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the “Father of Black History,” granted OASC its charter as the Los Angeles Branch of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now ASALH).
Today, OASC operates a comprehensive suite of programs that bring Black history and culture to life. Their signature initiatives include the Conversations for Change speaker series, which explores ASALH’s annual national themes through a Los Angeles lens, and the quarterly “An Afternoon With Authors” events that spotlight emerging and established Black writers. The Sankofa Speakers Bureau extends OASC’s reach by providing expert speakers on Black history in Southern California.
The organization’s commitment to education manifests through substantial scholarship support, having awarded over $325,000 to more than 700 students. Their Carter G. Woodson Youth Oratorical Program, established in partnership with Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, develops public speaking skills and historical knowledge in middle and high school students.
OASC’s influence extends beyond traditional historical preservation through cross-cultural partnerships with organizations like the LA Opera, Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center, and various multi-ethnic coalitions. Their annual City-wide Black History Celebration brings together thought leaders, academics, cultural institutions, and community members for a month of engaging programs, including living legend recognitions, historical bus tours, and scholarly roundtables.
As stewards of Black history in Southern California, OASC continues to evolve, embracing hybrid programming models and digital platforms while maintaining their foundational mission. Their work ensures that Black history is recognized not as a separate narrative, but as an integral, year-round component of American history, essential to understanding our shared past and shaping our collective future.
Through its diverse programs and unwavering commitment to historical authenticity, OASC exemplifies the “Beloved Community” vision of Dr. Martin Luther King and John Lewis, creating opportunities for everyone to experience Black history through culture, scholarship, technology, and research. Their work remains vital in countering institutional bias and ensuring Black achievements maintain their rightful place in American historical discourse.
ABOUT THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS
As a leading, progressive arts and cultural agency, DCA empowers Los Angeles’s vibrant communities by supporting and providing access to quality visual, literary, musical, performing, and educational arts programming; managing vital cultural centers; preserving historic sites; creating public art; and funding services provided by arts organizations and individual artists.
Formed in 1925, DCA promotes arts and culture as a way to ignite a powerful dialogue, engage LA’s residents and visitors, and ensure LA’s varied cultures are recognized, acknowledged, and experienced. DCA’s mission is to strengthen the quality of life in Los Angeles by stimulating and supporting arts and cultural activities, ensuring public access to the arts for residents and visitors alike.
DCA advances the social and economic impact of arts and culture through grantmaking; public art; community arts; performing arts; and strategic marketing, development, design, and digital research. DCA creates and supports arts programming, maximizing relationships with other city agencies, artists, and arts and cultural nonprofit organizations to provide excellent service in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles.
For more information, please visit culture.lacity.gov or follow us on Facebook at: facebook.com/culturela, Instagram @culture_la, and Twitter @culture_la.
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Juan Garcia
Public Information Director
[email protected]
Download a copy from our site at www.oascla.org