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History & Society

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I think the entire project describes who I am
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Mist blew in. I tasted salt on both our lips.
Hall of Justice, 1939
Ghosts, gangsters, glamour, and grime are all part of the heritage of downtown's Hall of Justice. The iconic building from Jazz Age Los Angeles is being restored after nearly 20 years of abandonment.
The creation of the National Park system in 1872 gave way to L.A.'s original streets planned around natural landscapes, like mountains, streams, and the coastline.
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Elliott Barkan's photographs of Los Angeles murals portray the growing self-identity of Chicano culture since the late 1960s.
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For African American History Month, L.A. Letters features two important books that expand, as well as question, the canon of 20th Century African-American Poetry.
The distinction between east and west in Los Angeles has been a fixture of the city's landscape from the beginning. But does that distinction -- even though it persists -- shape what Los Angeles is becoming?
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LAPD's second ever female officer founded halfway homes for lost women and children, paving the way for programs for at-risk youths and adults throughout Los Angeles.
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A parking spot becomes the spirit of a downtown looking for interaction between pedestrian and transportation.
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Do you ever wonder why there are so many ballot initiatives designed to decrease the political clout of unions? Well, simply put, because they have a lot of it.
A massive oak tree stands in the middle of Orange Grove Avenue in Pasadena, circa 1890. Courtesy of the Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library.
Native to Southern California, the oak tree has been a powerful force in shaping the region's human history.
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as 44th US president at the Capitol in Washington on January 20, 2009. | Photo: Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty Images
Black History Month is upon us again. Why do we keep missing the point?
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