Honoring Black History, Honoring Black Lives

The Go Human campaign is committed to uplifting and amplifying the contributions of Black communities. To celebrate Black voices, joy, advocacy, power, and creativity, we would like to share the following content and resources from leaders, organizations, and movements.

Upcoming Events

• February 23-27 – Planning for Racial Justice: A Virtual Conference, this event includes incredible speakers, like abolitionist Dr. Ruth Wilson Gilmore, in subjects like Public Health Justice, Racial Justice in Housing Policy, Transportation Planning, and Body & Community Mapping.
• February 25 through March 11 – UCLA Perloff Lecture Series on Race and Transportation, with lectures by national experts on a range of topics around transportation, race and equity.
• April 12 – Black Girls, Black Voices, Black History, a showcase of three ongoing projects presented by UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design, the Arcus Endowment Diversity Platform Committee, and the Arcus Chair in Gender, Sexuality, and the Built Environment.

Leaders

• Tamika Butler, a national expert and speaker on issues related to the built environment, equity, anti-racism, diversity and inclusion, organizational behavior, and change management. Read her recent piece, Trust Black Women, Follow Black Women, and hear her speak on equitable and inclusive cities on Wednesday, February 24.
• Dr. Destiny Thomas, founder of the Thrivance Project and author of ‘Safe Streets’ Are Not Safe for Black Lives. Consider joining Thrivance Group for their phenomenal program, The Dignity Institute, which applies a dignity-infused framework to traditional planning, design, and engineering concepts.
• Gigi the Planner, a project of Gisla Agustin, dedicated to mentoring and motivating future black urban planners. Gigi the Planner has a new podcast which was featured this month on the American Planning Association website.
• Dr. Regan Patterson, researcher and speaker on topics of environmental justice. Hear Dr. Patterson’s recorded lecture on her recent policy brief, New Routes to Equity: The Future of Transportation in the Black Community.
• Charles Brown, Adjunct Professor and Senior Research Specialist at Rutgers University. Hear him moderate a panel discussion titled, How Can We Do Better? Limits on Black Mobility in Transportation.

Black-Owned Businesses & Black-Led Organizations

• Support LA’s Black-Owned Restaurants by Kat Hong
• Los Angeles Organizations Committed to Black Lives by Liberty Hill
• Black-Owned Businesses in Ventura County
• Black-Owned Businesses of the Inland Empire by The Art-Lands
• Here’s a List of Black-Owned Businesses and Organizations to Support in O.C. from OrangeCoast Magazine
• East Side Riders Club
• Ride for Black Lives
• Black Girls Do Bike
• Black Cyclists Network
• The Black Urbanist

Other Resources

• Black History Month Syllabus: Black Urbanism, Transportation Planning and Futurisms, an expansive list on mobility justice and Black urbanists by Cyclista Zine
• Equity Design Reflections: Vulnerability as Power for BIPOC Communities by Brooke Staton and rita zhang of the Reflex Design Collective
• Policy Brief: The Need to Prioritize Black Lives in LA’s Traffic Safety Efforts
• City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs African American Heritage Month Calendar and Cultural Guide 2021

We are inspired and spurred to action every day by the brilliance and power of Black leaders. The Go Human campaign has resources that can contribute to—and help shape—a region in which Black communities are safe and celebrated in all aspects of civic life.

Do you have suggestions or other recommendations to share? Please e-mail Alina Borja at borja@scag.ca.gov so we can include more voices in our communications.