She received her doctorate in history from the Sorbonne in Paris upon defending her dissertation titled The Attitude of France on the Question of Slavery Between 1789 and 1848.
In a series of visits in Watts, the Mayor highlighted the strong community bonds formed in the aftermath of the unrest; honored the strength and visionary spirit of those who raised families and started businesses there; and paid tribute to those who have tirelessly served the community
The Watts Riots took place fifty years ago, but I remember them vividly. I was thirteen years old, and on the morning of August 12, 1965, I woke up at Pepperdine University where I stayed the night for church camp. At the time, Pepperdine was still located at the old campus on 79th and Vermont in the heart of South Los Angeles. We turned on the morning news, and I heard the anchor say that riots had broken out in Watts, a predominantly black neighborhood, and that County Supervisor Kenny Hahn, my father, had been attacked in his vehicle. That
Community members take a look at the causes and effects of the 1965 Watts riots.