South Central’s Casa Solidaria del Sur is moving
This acrylic painting by Emilia Cruz, a vendor at the closing event, is called “Ni Tu Santa, Ni Tu Puta.” (Courtesy of Emilia Cruz)
For supporters of Casa Solidaria del Sur in South Central Los Angeles, a recent gathering was both a 4-year anniversary celebration and a goodbye party.
“Bittersweet they are closing,” said Emilia Cruz, who was selling prints and artwork at the event. She said the organization helped her grow and feel welcomed as a person of color.
People attending the event visited booths selling art, fresh-squeezed juices and homemade body scrubs and enjoyed live Afro-Cuban music. Some attendees said Casa Solidaria del Sur has been an important space for the community to gather and be free of judgment.
For instance, Karah Ayur Seba El said attending Casa Solidaria’s events has helped her grow her business, Supanaturals, which provides homemade body scrubs with ingredients such as Himalayan salt, organic coconut oil and organic cannabis.
“Having this business brings out our own creation to the community and makes them aware: Young people are active, creative and are making a living for themselves,” she said.
An organizer at the celebration confirmed that the organization is moving – and event promotions described the gathering as a “closing event” – but details were not provided.
The grassroots group – which describes itself on its Facebook page as “an autonomous intentionally POC (people of color) collective rooted in resilience, feminism, decolonization, and solidarity” – vowed to keep its work going on a web page about the event: “We will continue building in every corner and in the streets. This is just the beginning.”
Community News reporters are enrolled in JOUR 3910 – University Times. They produce stories about under-covered neighborhoods and small cities on the Eastside and South Los Angeles. Please email feedback, corrections and story tips to [email protected].
