California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute partners with the Black Resource Center at A C Bilbrew Library to preserve community stories for future generations
LOS ANGELES — The California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute (CABWCEI), in partnership with the Black Resource Center at A C Bilbrew Library, is inviting Black Californians to help preserve the state’s history by participating in Black California Love Stories, a new oral history initiative collecting the voices, memories, and lived experiences of Black communities across California.
“History isn’t only found in museums or history books—it’s carried in the stories we pass down through generations,” said Kellie Todd Griffin, founder and CEO of the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute. “Through Black California Love Stories, we’re inviting our community to share those memories in our own voices and contribute them to an archive that will preserve this history for generations to come.”
The stories collected will become part of a living archive housed at the Black Resource Center and preserved within the LA County Library’s larger collection, helping ensure the experiences of Black Californians remain accessible for future generations.
Stories may be submitted online or recorded in person at the Black Resource Center at A C Bilbrew Library.
Launched as part of the Museum of Black Women & Girls Pop-Up, the initiative encourages community members to share stories about their family’s journey to California, influential people, meaningful places, community traditions, moments of resilience, or experiences that have shaped their lives.
The oral history initiative complements the Museum of Black Women & Girls Pop-Up, a free exhibition opens through Sept. 30 celebrating the lives and legacies of more than 30 Black women and girls who have shaped California through leadership, activism, education, sports, business, literature, and the arts.
To learn more or submit a story, visit https://lacountylibrary.org/beauty-brilliance-exhibit-la/.
