Latest news with #ZootSuitRiots
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Zoot Suit riots
Today is Tuesday, June 3, the 154th day of 2025. There are 211 days left in the year. Today in history: On June 3, 1943, an altercation between U.S. Navy sailors and young Mexican Americans on the streets of Los Angeles led to several days of clashes known as the Zoot Suit Riots, during which white mobs attacked Mexican Americans across the city, injuring more than 150. Also on this date: In 1844, the last confirmed specimens of the great auk were killed on Eldey island, near Iceland. In 1888, the poem 'Casey at the Bat' by Ernest Lawrence Thayer was first published in the San Francisco Daily Examiner. In 1935, the French liner SS Normandie set a record on its maiden voyage, arriving in New York after crossing the Atlantic in just four days. In 1937, Edward, The Duke of Windsor, who had abdicated the British throne, married Wallis Simpson in a private ceremony in Monts, France. In 1965, during the Gemini 4, spaceflight, astronaut Edward H. White became the first American to 'walk' in space. In 1989, Chinese army troops entered Beijing's Tiananmen Square to begin a crackdown on student-led pro-democracy demonstrations. In 2016, former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, whose athletic feats and activism placed him among the most revered athletes of all time, died in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 74. In 2017, elite rock climber Alex Honnold became the first to climb solo to the top of the massive granite wall known as El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without ropes or safety gear. Today's Birthdays: Former Cuban President Raúl Castro is 94. Basketball Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham is 82. Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin is 80. Singer Suzi Quatro is 75. Singer Deniece Williams is 75. Former first lady Jill Biden is 74. Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Peter Vidmar is 64. Musician Kerry King (Slayer) is 61. Broadcast journalist Anderson Cooper is 58. Tennis player Rafael Nadal is 39.
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
Teyana Taylor's 2025 Met Gala look had all eyes on the show-stopping 'Rose in Harlem'
Teyana Taylor was the look to beat at the 2025 Met Gala on May 5, as she showed up and showed out in a jaw-dropping three-piece pinstripe zoot suit, dramatic burgundy cape and impeccable rose and crystal detailing that gave fashion appreciators a bountiful feast on which to gaze as the details unraveled. The 34-year-old singer-songwriter, dancer and actress, who served as co-host of the Vogue carpet livestream Monday night, wore custom Marc Jacobs and was styled by two-time Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter for the historic look that paid homage to the once-illegal suits that rose to popularity during the Harlem Renaissance, when popular performers like Cab Calloway and Lionel Hampton favored them. According to the National WWII Museum and historian Kathy Peiss, the flowy fit of the suits looked good on the dance floor, allowing the style to quickly spread to other immigrant populations and to the West Coast. 1942 wartime rationing led to zoot suits becoming illegal due to the extra fabric needed to produce them, and eventually they became synonymous with rebellion and crime, leading to the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles, during which U.S. servicemen and white residents attacked and beat scores of Mexican American, Filipino American and Black youths who were wearing the suits. In addition to Taylor's nod to the suits' historical significance, her 2018 song "Rose in Harlem" inspired many of the outfit's other details, from the words "Harlem Rose" embroidered in tonal red thread along the edge of the cape to satin roses blossoming out of black, crystallized vines woven across and down her back, where the cape's structured edges gave way to an ocean of flowing pleats. To finish the look, Taylor donned a burgundy top hat with a large ostrich feather atop a matching durag. The rich red tones were continued throughout the ensemble with leather gloves, a walking stick, and what looked to be platinum jewelry studded with ruby and onyx stones. In an interview with Vogue, Taylor said of the look, "When The Met is Teyana Taylor'd to you, it's the moment we were waiting on." This year's Met Gala theme was "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style." Both the theme and corresponding Costume Institute exhibit, which were announced in October 2024, took inspiration from Monica L. Miller's 2009 book "Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity," according to Vogue. The night's dress code was "Tailored for You," which was "a nod to the exhibition's focus on suiting and menswear, from specific silhouettes to various fabrics and accessories -- that is purposefully designed to both provide guidance and invite creative interpretation," according to a press release.
Los Angeles Times
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Censored artwork finds a home in the newest wing of the L.A. Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County recently opened its newest wing on November 17th, 2024, which includes a new entrance, cafe and gift shop. Though the museum has many entrances, this one stands apart from the rest – not only because of its modern architecture, but because of the way it fosters community. The newest entrance to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles -Photo taken by Morgan Ebright This new entrance is referred to as the 'NHM Commons,' a communal lounge area which connects to the new wing. While a ticket must be purchased to see the regular exhibits, guests can enjoy the Commons without for free, engaging with one of the museum's most revolutionary (and controversial) exhibits to date. The piece in question is L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective by Barbara Carrasco, which hangs proudly along one wall of the Commons. This eighty-foot-long mural was commissioned by the Community Redevelopment Agency in 1981, and illustrates the extensive history of Los Angeles beginning with the Ancient People in the 'cavemen times', and ending in 1981. Seen here is a portion of the mural by Barbara Carrasco -Photo taken by Morgan Ebright Carrasco paints the progression of Los Angeles in fifty-one small scenes – sparing no expense when it comes to the violence, oppression, and cruelty that have defined our shared history. When the mural was completed, the Agency deemed it 'too controversial', and Carrasco was asked to remove fourteen of the scenes she had painted. Some of these scenes that were almost eliminated included the depiction of the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots, the killing of civil rights activist Ruben Salazar, and prisoners crammed into a Japanese internment camp – events that were certainly controversial, but also integral to this city's legacy. Carrasco refused to censor her mural, and as a result the artwork was suppressed and hidden from the public for over 40 years. L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective had only been publicly seen three times, before finding its new home in the NHM Commons room of the Natural History Museum. This picture depicts a Japanese internment camp, one of the scenes asked to be removed -Photo taken by Morgan Ebright It's inspiring to see that the Natural History Museum is providing a public home for this masterpiece, bravely reclaiming this 'controversial' mural, and fighting so that it won't be lost to history. What's more, the display is accompanied by a touch screen computer that lets you click on each scene and explore the history behind it, digging into the motivations that suppressed this artwork. In this, the museum confronts the tumultuous history of this piece by accepting the past rather than hiding it, a stark contrast to what was done to this mural for so long. By making this controversial mural the focal point of the NHM Commons room, the museum encourages visitors to reconnect with their history at a community level, connecting with our flawed past and learning how we've persevered to build beyond those obstacles. As a student visiting the new wing, I sincerely enjoyed my time engaging with these 51 scenes and learning about the controversy that kept this beautiful piece hidden for so long, and I hope that others visiting this mural will find the same sense of community and inspiration that I've discovered in this art. Related
