L.A. activists, organizers teach radical change

Dec. 1, 2021 7 AM PT

This story is part of Image issue 7, “Survival,” a collective vision for the L.A. of our dreams. See the full package here.

Radical change happens in big and small acts. No one knows this better than activists and organizers in Los Angeles, who in the face of issues like climate change, environmental racism, homelessness and police brutality manage to show up for their city first and foremost by showing up for themselves. At the root of any change is commitment, so we asked activists from Communities for a Better Environment, an organization fighting climate injustice in communities of color, and some of the organizers behind West Adams’ new radical bookstore and self-described help nexus, All Power Books, to tell us about the commitments they’re making to themselves.

A young woman stands in front of an oil refinery

Ashley Hernandez's commitment list in her own handwriting promises she will celebrate every win.

Ashley Hernandez, Wendy Miranda and Luis Martinez have lived in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles for most of their lives. They thought the health problems so common in their homes — bloody noses, asthma, cancer, migraines — were normal. It wasn’t until they joined Communities for a Better Environment and learned that their neighborhood had the highest concentration of refineries and oil extraction in L.A. — resulting in an environment that residents have described for decades as toxic — that they started to understand. “We are at ground zero,” Hernandez says. “Once I was able to look at all the dots and connect them, I saw the big picture. That’s what Wilmington is all about: connecting the dots.”

A young woman stands with an oil refinery in the background

Wendy Miranda's commitment list in her own handwriting says she will make more time for self-care.

The organization’s Wilmington chapter is fighting to end neighborhood drilling with its Stand-L.A. coalition. They’ve been campaigning for a 2,500-foot health and safety buffer between homes and oil drilling sites in Wilmington, highlighted in the Patagonia documentary “District 15,” and are pushing to pass a full phase-out of oil drilling in L.A., which Hernandez points out would be monumental.

Inside Issue 7: Survival

Writer Rembert Browne investigates the mysterious ailments that just showed up one day

Writer Zinzi Clemmons wants you to be able to stay in the city as long as you want

Journalist Cerise Castle pays tribute to the city’s forgotten site of refuge and devastation

Gypsy Sport designer and creative director Rio Uribe sees a future where eco-friendly won’t be slept on

Actor and activist Kendrick Sampson knows that faith and organizing infrastructure in L.A. will get us through

A young man stands with an oil refinery in the background

Luis Martinez's commitment list in his own handwriting includes an intention to find creative ways to serve his communities

“People in Wilmington are more than the industry,” says Miranda. “We’re more than our health problems. We’re resilient people. If you talk to our friends who grew up here, they’re like, ‘I’m from Wilmas.’ They’re proud.”

On paper, All Power Books is a radical co-operative bookstore, co-working space and events venue. But walk into the West Adams Boulevard location, which opened this year, and you’ll quickly realize that in practice, it’s much more. As Gage, an organizer with All Power, describes it: “It’s a help nexus.”

A commitment list from Gage at All Power Books includes a quote from Albert Camus

Its offerings include — but are not limited to — free space for local organizers; a free store with food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, books and more. The shop also offers free Wi-Fi, printers and restrooms for people in the West Adams community, along with resources on workers’ and tenant rights. Not to mention it has very good merch.

“Whatever people need, we will do,” says Cat, another organizer with the bookstore.