Santa Monica, Calif. is a predominantly white metropolis, however it was as soon as house to the thriving Black group of Belmar, which was established in the course of the Nice Migration however destroyed within the Nineteen Fifties to construct the Santa Monica Freeway and Santa Monica Civic Middle.
Indie company RPA, which has been primarily based in Santa Monica for greater than 30 years, is marking Black Historical past Month by making a strolling tour of town known as Black. Not Sorry, centered on its misplaced landmarks and the Black pleasure they represented.
The company’s Black worker useful resource group What’s Good? positioned QR codes at eight spots all through town that hyperlink to movies explaining the websites’ significance. Hosted by RPA digital producer A.C. Sanford and affiliate group supervisor of digital technique and merchandise Camille Wright, the movies have been additionally shared throughout LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram in order that people who find themselves not within the metropolis can nonetheless watch. Every video, together with the marketing campaign intro, is lower than 1 minute lengthy.
Guests to the Santa Monica Civic Middle can find out how in 1914 it was house to La Bonita Bathhouse and Cafe, a trip vacation spot that attracted Black vacationers from across the nation. The neighborhood additionally hosted Caldwell’s Dance Corridor, a well-liked place for folks to socialize and exhibit their fashion.
The tour highlights the group’s resilience, noting that Black companies just like the Ebony Seaside Membership have been created attributable to discrimination at different close by institutions. Some movies additionally emphasize the places’ position within the Civil Proper Motion, with a code on the location of the previous Sears Roebuck retailer at 302 Colorado Ave. that noticed protests as a result of it might solely rent Black janitors, however not gross sales workers.
“We demonstrated our pleasure by trying again on the accomplishments of the Black individuals who got here earlier than us in Santa Monica by means of a strolling tour on our socials,” RPA expertise specialist Jazmen Edwards informed Adweek. “Although a lot of the historical past in Santa Monica was misplaced, we celebrated the lives and accomplishments whereas spreading the phrase by means of QR codes throughout Santa Monica.”
What’s Good? members may also launch testimonials on the “Black. Not Sorry” theme and share the enjoyment they expertise working in promoting. Internally, the group has put collectively a studying record that includes a ebook by a Black creator for day-after-day of Black Historical past Month and supporting the native Black woman-owned bookstore Reparations Membership. The company can be internet hosting a raffle benefiting Black Ladies for Wellness, a nonprofit centered on increasing healthcare entry.
