Oakwood and the “Racing of Space” in Venice

At the turn of the last century, Black entrepreneur Arthur L. Reese convinced developer Abbot Kinney to hire Black workers for Kinney’s seaside resort and amusement park, Venice of America. Reese had a hard time recruiting Blacks to the area because, even though Venice was one of the few neighborhoods without racially restrictive covenants, no one would rent or sell to them. Thus was born the Black ethnic enclave of Oakwood, formed through de facto racial separation, or the “racing of space.” In this episode, alum Rita Cofield delves into Oakwood’s rich history, from the effects (positive and negative) of spatial segregation to the tangible and intangible evidence that remains–yet now faces erasure through rampant gentrification.

Transcript

Postcard of early Venice.
Oakwood neighborhood boundary.
Arthur Reese's first house. Courtesy of S. Greenland.
Arthur Reese's shoe-shine business. Courtesy of S. Greenland.
Irving Tabor Residence.
An Oakwood neighborhood gathering. Courtesy of J. Tabor, Jr.
First Baptist Church in Oakwood. Photo courtesy of the L.A. Conservancy.

Rita Cofield was raised and currently lives in the Florence-Graham area of Southeast Los Angeles. She received her BA in Architecture and Planning from Howard University and recently graduated from USC with a Master in Heritage Conservation. She sits on the board of Trustees with the California Preservation Foundation and is currently leading the charge, with the guidance of long-time community stakeholders, to revive the Watts Happening Cultural Center in Watts.

Willa Seidenberg

Our producer Willa Seidenberg recently interviewed Rita. Not only is she a long-time professor of radio journalism for the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, but she is also earning her Master’s degree in Heritage Conservation.