Courtesy of Zócalo.
Marqueece Harris-Dawson is the Los Angeles City Council president pro tempore. He represents the Eighth District of Los Angeles, where Destination Crenshaw is being erected. Before sitting on the panel for the Zócalo/Destination Crenshaw program “How Do You Grow a Rose From Concrete?,” he sat down in our green room to talk about his childhood hero, cashews, and the church parking lot you can find him at.
What are your summer plans?
It’s going to be a working summer. But I’m planning on a lot of sunshine.
As a “son of South Los Angeles,” where is one place you love to go in South L.A.?
I like going to the parking lot of St. Brigid Church. I’ve been going for as long as I can remember.
What song is at the top of your playlist currently?
“Not Like Us” [by Kendrick Lamar].
What’s one thing you’ve learned from the Destination Crenshaw project so far?
Los Angeles communities are wealthy communities in lots of ways—cash flow but also culturally.
Who is one person—dead or alive—you’d want to have dinner with?
Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
If you’re going on a road trip, what snack are you definitely bringing along?
Cashews.
Who is your childhood hero?
Magic Johnson.
Where’s a space where you feel like you belong?
Crenshaw Boulevard.