“Los Angeles represents not only the red, white, and blue flag, but the red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple flag. We represent togetherness.”

Los Angeles, such a pretty name.

Los Angeles, en español means “the angels.”

Los Angeles is full of angels.

The people here are angels, accepting everyone no matter what. Look at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. People here have all different styles: sparkling, shining, and flashing while they are walking upon the stars’ names. The people there express their love of superheroes, princesses, villains, break dancers, and rock and roll enthusiasts. They are one in harmony. Celebrities and movie stars, yes we do have those, but the real celebrities are the people who accept what Los Angeles represents.

Los Angeles represents not only the red, white, and blue flag, but the red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple flag. We represent togetherness. Which is why we think green, white and red soar through the sky with America on its side. No man, not even words, will make a wall to separate and break what is Los Angeles.

Los Angelés, I mean for this E to have an accent. This is important, it’s the emphasis of our familias. This is for the familias that come here to start over on life, for the parents who want better for their kids. Los Angelés para todos, for everyone! This is the city where we, Mexicans, have a community. The place where we are able to have a voice, no matter who runs this town!

How dare they think our city is second best to New York! Yes, New York is the Big Apple but an apple is a hearty, healthy snack, while Los Angeles is heaven and earth. Los Angeles is worth your while if you look closely like I did…

So come on down to the City of Angels. Visit the city of the almost-world-champs of 2017, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The city of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Observatory, and the Hollywood Sign. To see how our city is Number 1. To see where I grew up. In the city of Los Angeles, the community of Echo Park, the family of 826LA. Come and visit the place where we accept. The place where anything IS possible. To visit the place I call home.

In Never Leave Too Far From Home, Echo Park’s Tuesday and Thursday Night Tutoring students took on the task of seeing the city they call home from a new perspective. They dreamt up dystopian futures, penned dramatic telenovelas, and crafted nostalgic poems. For some of these young Angelenos, the city served as the backdrop for their tales, while for others, Los Angeles became a character in and of itself. They explored how Los Angeles is a city of glitz and grime, grit and glamor, rich and poor. Or, as one student writes, “Los Angéles para todos.”

Read more about 826LA’s tutoring program and volunteer opportunities here. 

You can purchase Never Leave Too Far From Home at the Time Travel Mart here.