Erasure Resistance: Moving Black Women to the Center of Memory
In this talk DJ Lynnée Denise used elements of DJ culture to excavate and complicate the political lives of twelve black women activists whose cultural contributions exists on the margins of public memory. By centering their stories she intends to unearth the hidden histories of women in the black radical tradition whose legacies get lost in male-centered narratives about social movements.
DJ Lynnée Denise was invited to launch a series of DJ Workshops for youth who are served by the Los Angeles County Library. Supported by a grant, Compton Turns the Table is a free beginner’s DJ course for young adults 15- 21 years old at the Compton Library. The series covered essential DJ skills and business training. The class met from February - April 2017.
Compton Turns the Tables is the brain child of Skye Patrick Larkspur. Skye Patrick recently became the first Black-American Library Director for the County of Los Angeles Public Library. She leads one of the largest public library systems in the country. The County Library operates 86 community libraries and 3 bookmobiles in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County and in 49 of the County’s 88 cities. The library serves 3.4 million residents, offering a collection of over 5 million items.
The ten-week workshop (Compton Turns the Tables), culminated with a performance by student DJs who were filmed, interviewed evaluated by celebrity judges. The Compton bred legendary rapper Yo-Yo will performed and offered words of support to students as well. This kind of exposure for both student DJs and the community is unprecedented, but consistent with the honorary work of Compton residents that continue to put the city on the global map through excellence. Kendrick Lamar, Ava Duhvernay, and Venus and Serena Williams, Compton residents, are all part of the way that the city is being presented and redefined to a general audience.
