This project focused on the creation of a community archive based on the life and collections of Kamau Daáood. For well over five decades, Kamau Daáood’s work as a community artist, performer, educator, and activist, has nurtured the community he comes from through the arts. Through an ethic of love, and community as practice, Kamau’s work has been dedicated to raising political awareness and fostering unity through the arts in Black Los Angeles, in resonance with the larger African diaspora. This project began to comprehensively organize and catalogue Daáood’s archives, materials he has been collecting throughout his life, which reflect the Black artistic communities he has been part of. Through a community archive building approach, this project documents Black Los Angeles arts, culture and activism from the mid-1960s to the present day – worlds that have been lacking in-depth attention and support from public policy, and haven’t received proper treatment from artistic institutions and academic studies.

This research was conducted by UCLA Postdoctoral Fellow Samuel Lamontagne, with guidance from UCLA History Professor Robin D.G. Kelley.

Read the full report [here].