Afro-Latinos as a whole and the broader Latino communities were often a visibilized.

We often are never credited for any of the contributions that we've made to the Latin American community as a whole.

So today is really about celebrating us, celebrating our Africanness and celebrating our negritous.

I remember a time where Afro-Latina wasn't even being recognized or even in the diaspora of entertainment are even being categorized as Afro-Latinos.

And now we're being noticed.

We're not reflected in a lot of things.

And there's over 40,000 Afro-Latinos in the LA area alone.

As a child, right, whenever I took a test in school, it would always say black, not of Hispanic descent, white, not of Hispanic descent or Hispanic.

And I felt like the culture never gave space for who I am.

I am a black man.

I come from the Hispanic culture.

It's just a vibe, man.

We're all excited to be here.

And we are going to be continuing with cooking classes, gardening classes, and nutrition classes, yoga and zumba.

I couldn't be more grateful to stand here in unity and solidarity with this community, the Latino community, to say that hate has no home.

And that's what Los Angeles is about, has been about, and the LA Civil Rights Department today was pleased to bring this for Angelinos.

Originally cast in South Korea before its Trans-Pacific journey, the Korean Vella Friendship is housed within a striking stone pavilion.

This pagoda style structure was meticulously crafted over 10 months by 30 artisans brought from Korea to the site.

Twelve ornate columns support the pavilion, each representing the Eastern Zodiac with protective animal figures guarding their bases.

To ensure its enduring legacy, this iconic landmark has benefited from a comprehensive restoration and renovation.

From this shared history to a preview of the future of another corner of Los Angeles, innovative plans are unfolding to link two distinct green spaces as part of a bold vision, bringing communities together.

Metro has a program to fund open street events all over LA County.

And this is one of our open street projects.

This is a great opportunity to invite the community to come out and enjoy being in the open space.

Typically, Wilshire is full of cars, and today is full of happy people enjoying the day and just having family time.

This is one of the goals that Metro has as an agency to be able to continue to provide funding for these type of events.

This is just a great example of a hugely successful program that the community has really come to enjoy over the last few years.

And I think that for a car to go around for half a mile, it's not that big of a deal.

But for the pedestrians for the community, I think the closure of Wilshire Boulevard reunites the parts to bring the families together in a clean, safe environment where we can really enjoy our families and our cultural sway.

This is a really fun opportunity to come out and see your city and socialize.

Right now, helping the little kids play like a scrimmage.

It was really fun.

Anybody can walk and not have to worry about cars passing by.

And for us, we can play soccer and it's just safe.

And I think this whole event is really cool because everybody gets to get together and socialize.

Yeah, I would definitely look forward to more events, and um, I would definitely come out if there were events like this.

Metro is more than trains and buses.

Metro provides grants for open streets events such as this one today.

We also provide other types of funding for construction, for shuttle service, and it's a really great agency that is looking out for the community and making sure that there are transportation options for everyone.

It's a great event, and we're always looking to create partnerships with the city of LA.

It's a great opportunity for the community to continue to come out and enjoy these events.

It's a great family event.

I'm here with my sisters and my nieces, and it's just so great that we all love reading.

The library has always moved with the times.

When the internet became the super highway, the library modernized and made sure that those people that couldn't have access, then they could come to the library and have access.

Now we have people that are teaching them how to use AI.

They can go online and have all those services, but my preference is to be at the library because it's a special space.

You can see people, the architecture is absolutely incredible, and things that you can't afford on your own, the library provides them for you.

We should take great pride in this incredible institution and continue investing in it.

Because doing so, we're investing in the community in generations of Angelinos that will benefit from the light of learning that we provide here at the library.

The mission of Los Angeles Public Library is to serve all the communities throughout the city, and that's what we do starting at Central Library.

The friendship bell is rung annually to celebrate Independence Day, Korean National Liberation Day, and New Year's Eve.

Additional observances include Constitution Week in September and Korean American Day in January.

Residents can also hear the bell ring out 13 times on the first Saturday of every month.

Another treasure in the LA landscape is the tradition of free Shakespeare in Griffith Park.

Now, throughout the summer months, an independent troupe presents two seasonal productions, which is a lot of fun.

Inviting Angelinos to unwind with a picnic and the Bard's classic tales under the starry Southern California sky.

Tonight we're about to do a performance of Coriolanus by William Shakespeare.

This is the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival.

It's our 23rd year.