Hometown Heritage in Compton

What comes to mind when you think of Compton? If it’s gangs and rap, think again. This small city is one of the oldest in L.A. County, with a history of agriculture, self-reliance, and resilience. It has a farm, a space-age civic center, the tennis court where Venus and Serena learned to play, and more (including, yes, cowboys). Compton’s history mirrors that of many cities across the U.S.; it just gained more notoriety thanks to groups like NWA.

In this episode, get the real scoop on Compton from one who knows: alum Camille Ora-Nicole, who grew up there and wrote her master’s thesis on it. Hear what Camille learned about her hometown, and how she thinks small cities should approach conservation, as we chat about her thesis, Conserving Compton: Identifying Potential Landmarks and Recommendations for Conservation.

Camille Ora-Nicole is a designer and writer currently working as an Assistant Project Manager at Innovative Housing Opportunities. In addition to working in affordable housing and advocating for more diversity in creative fields through her nonprofit Q26, Camille is also developing the Vernacular Project. The project’s goal is to set examples for diverse placemaking and define new “rules” for environmental aesthetics that will be developed by those they affect the most. She holds a Master of Heritage Conservation degree from USC.

Podcast co-host Cindy Olnick recently interviewed Camille about both her thesis and what she has been up to since graduation. Cindy is a communications pro who loves L.A. and thinks historic places are magic.

Podcast Breakdown

• • • [05:35] – Why study Compton?
    • [07:10] – Compton’s history
    • [19:18] – Conservation in Compton
    • [28:16] – The Vernacular Project
    • [33:47] – The Queer 26 (Q26)

Want to know more about some of the ideas and places mentioned in this episode? Check out:

Thesis: Conserving Compton: Identifying Potential Landmarks and Recommendations for Conservation, by Camille Elston/Ora-Nicole

The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America’s Urban Heartland, by Walter Thompson-Hernandez

Compton 125 Historical Society (many links are broken)

The Vernacular Project explores the dimensions of the Black vernacular in the built environment through the arts, community engagement, placemaking, and a healthy dose of dreaming about what could be.

What If? – a limited zine series exploring new design ideas + foundations through an intersectional lens. Issue #2 explores texture – how do different places feel? How do different environments affect us, not only physically, but emotionally?

The Queer 26 – a multimedia non-profit organization supporting  QTBIPOC creatives

USC Heritage Conservation Programs

 Credits on About page