Community members across Los Angeles are coming together to help beautify the city as part of Mayor Karen Bass’ “Shine LA” monthly initiative. The program, launched in April, aims to revitalize city neighborhoods in preparation for two world-class events – the FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games.
May’s day of service, the Shine LA AAPI Day of Service in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, took place last Saturday in communities across the city, from San Pedro to the San Fernando Valley.
In North Hills, around 100 Angelenos from the district and beyond met at the Mid-Valley Library to spend their Saturday morning picking up trash.
“It’s always important to instill that sense of community pride. When a community looks beautiful, people seem to care about it more. They want to take care of it more,” said the district’s Councilmember John Lee. “If you look at our streets, you look at our community, we have a community that really cares about it, and is very active.”
Alyssa Stark is one of those San Fernando Valley residents. She attended James Monroe High School, just down the street from where the cleanup was being done, and jumped at the opportunity to give back to her community.
Many of the participants were not from the district, but rather from organizations throughout the city, which Lee said showed “they care about not only the place where they live, [but] they care about the city as a whole.”
One nonprofit, Growing Up Youth Volunteer (GUYV), brought 30 Korean American high school students to help beautify Council District 12. The organization fosters three ideas – community, leadership and identity – to help form young adults into leaders, said Supervisor Jun Kim.
High School juniors Hana Lee and Joseph Lee said they enjoyed bonding as a group while doing something for the larger community.
“It’s all about playing your part,” said Joseph Lee. “I do my part, and then next time someone will do their part, and we all have a better society together.”
It’s important that the students understand their identity as Korean Americans, added Kim.
“By understanding our culture and history, we understand who we are, where we come from and what we represent,” she explained. Having that understanding allows them “to stand up and be a significant visible part of the community, and to give back.”
The councilmember noted that growing up in the 1970s in LA, “I didn’t really have people who look like me on TV, or people who represented our communities in government.”
Celebrating and recognizing the AAPI community is a piece of celebrating all the cultures of LA, said John Lee, because “the diversity of the city of Los Angeles is our strength.”