Our Favorite Events of 2021

New Ideas, a New Home, and a New Hybrid Event Format Connected Us With Angelenos—and Audiences Around the World

Over 18 years and 650 events since we hosted our inaugural Zócalo event in 2003, Zócalo Public Square remains as fiercely committed as ever to bringing people together around ideas. We also have continued to build on our mission, expanding the dream of the zócalo—a grand plaza where anyone and everyone is welcome to gather—to bring even more people and perspectives into the fold.

COVID only accelerated this work, moving our events to a livestream in spring 2020 and, this year, once public health restrictions allowed, pushing us to introduce a …

December 22, 2021

Boyle Heights Is Where Democracy Happens

Celebrating a Los Angeles Neighborhood Nexus for New Arrivals, Community Organizing, and Creativity

by Joe Mathews | May 28, 2021

The Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights has long demonstrated the resiliency, openness to immigrants, and commitment to democratic action that the United States desperately needs now, said speakers at …

In L.A.’s Boyle Heights Neighborhood, a Theater Provides Space for Community Healing

At Casa 0101, Artists and Residents Come Together to Create—and Let Go of Pain

By Josefina López | June 22, 2017

Community theater never has been a dirty term for me. To me, community theater is about engaging your community and telling its stories. If the actors, writers, or directors get …

The Daunting Task of Reimagining ‘Anne of Green Gables’

As a Kid, Writer Andi Teran Fell in Love With Anne Shirley, so She Created a Similar Young Hero for Contemporary California

By Andi Teran | August 10, 2015

“Because when you are imagining, you might as well imagine something worth while.” Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery

There were many moments throughout …

Building a Bulwark for Boyle Heights

How We’re Making Sure That the Low-Income Renters Who Kept This Neighborhood Vibrant Don’t Get Pushed Out

by Maria Cabildo | April 16, 2014

My father’s heart is failing. It is deeply surreal to trail an ambulance with its sirens blaring and know that the man most responsible for your commitment to fight for …

My Superhero’s Got a Green Card

Why I Created El Verde, a Factory Worker Who Moonlights as a Crusader

by Anthony Aguilar | April 2, 2014

My childhood revolved around two things: television and superheroes. I always looked forward to coming home from school to watch reruns of Gilligan’s Island, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and …

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