Mayme a Clayton Library & Cultural Center

Wonderful Museum and Library! They have such amazing collections and they are doing so much to have it shown to the public.
Many people do not know about the Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum but I highly recommend people to visit to not only see the wonderful exhibition they currently have on display but to also see the film collection, photographs, rare book and manuscripts and more.

I felt fortunate being able to visit this place for the first time last night – what a cultural pearl.
Just when I had given up on the cultural development of African Americans in Los Angeles – just when I thought that my community wasn’t eager to support the arts, our history, and the institutions that are dedicated to preserving them – just when I thought that budget cuts and the recession would spell the end to funding for libraries and museums – I walk into the Mayme A. Clayton Center and my faith was instantly restored, my black pride reinvigorated, and my desire to help carve new pathways for our youth was given a second wind. Hallelujah.
I attended the opening reception of «Get on Board: Stories of the Los Angeles to Houston Freedom Ride»; a very captivating exhibit detailing the oral, written and photographic accounts of those Californians who rode in a bus down to Texas, then Mississippi to help dismantle racial segregation.
The life-​size recreation of the bombed-​out greyhound bus, restaurant lunch counter, and a prison cell really sends the viewer back into the chaotic period that made such a significant historical impact.
The photographs, which are big, bold and in your face, document the mind-​set, background, preparation and subsequent experiences of the Freedom Riders who risked it all, to achieve so much – it made me realize how much I take for granted the basic liberties that I have – I think we all do.
The staff is so welcoming, appreciative and eager to give tours.
I will return to the Mayme A. Clayton Cultural Center as a volunteer– they are still establishing the collection in their new location (which used to be the Culver City Courthouse).