The writing on the wall: the great wall of Los Angeles

The Great Wall of Los Angeles is a mural designed by Judith Baca located in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley that depicts the history of California through a series of panels, beginning with prehistory and proceeding through to the 20th century. The mural, which mostly depicts minority histories in the city (e.g. Japanese internment camps, farm workers’ strikes, the gay and lesbian rights movement), extends for over half a mile and is considered one of the largest murals in the world. This program offers historical perspective on the minorities represented on the Wall in Los Angeles during the 1950’s. Baca talks with KPFK’s Helene Rosenbluth about the mural’s origins and those who worked on it. Also heard are Dr. Sara Sage, historian and professor of women’s studies at University of California, Riverside; Dr. Bruce Phillips, sociologist at Hebrew Union College; Robert Pierson, doctoral candidate in social ethics at University of Southern California; Nancy Angelo, research coordinator for the Great Wall project; Dr. Yuji Ichioka, profession of Asian-American studies at University of California, Los Angeles; Sybil Venegas, professor of Chicano studies at East Los Angeles College; and Max Benavidez, writer, journalist and director of the California Chicano Mural Documentation Project. This program was made possible by a grant from the California Council on the Humanities.