Today is Juneteenth (which should be a national holiday) and I ran 6.19 miles. I wanted to learn about a local Black historical site and have it serve as the destination for the run. I found the Mayme A Clayton Museum and Library, which should have been at 4130 Overland Ave here in Culver City. However, I learned it was sadly evicted from this site last year after a battle with LA County. This library and collection represents Clayton’s life’s work. “Mayme A. Clayton, Ph.D. (1923-2006) founded MCLM in 1975 as the Western States Black Research Center (WSBRC). Dr. Clayton, a university librarian, collector, and historian, believed that preserving and sharing the scattered and often neglected history of Americans of African descent was vitally important for current and future generations. Working independently for over 40 years, Dr. Clayton meticulously amassed a collection characterized as one of the finest collections of African-American literature, manuscripts, films, and ephemera in private hands." (From the MCLM website) The collection is temporarily being housed at West LA College. The good news is, in February 2020, the Culver City Council approved a plan from the adjacent @wendemuseum to turn the vacant building at 10828 Culver Blvd (basically just a couple blocks away) into a Creative Community Center. This new building will house the MCLM and serve as a location for the important cultural events and concerts the MCLM used to hold. It will also incorporate the AmVets organization and Upward Bound House, services to prevent homelessness. I couldn’t find any updates on how this construction is faring during pandemic times, but now that I know, I’ll be following the progress. I can’t wait until my next 6.19 mile run can actually take me to the new museum instead of the vacant old building. #maymeaclayton #mclm #blackhistory #americanhistory #juneteenth #r4awjuneteenth (at Culver City, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBoknMiheod/?igshid=1sf1x8eny897p