By Olivia Clark, Contributing Writer
The San Diego History Center, in partnership with the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art (SDAAMFA) and with the help of UC San Diego History and Urban Studies students, is presenting a new exhibition. The immersive presentation sheds light on the displacement of predominantly Black communities in San Diego County as a result of discriminatory housing practices such as redlining, freeway construction, and other policies.
The exhibition covers “gentrification, freeway development, and just plain racism,” said Gaidi Finnie, executive director of the SDAAMFA, as he explained the themes woven throughout the exhibition.
“San Diego’s Lost Neighborhoods” celebrated its unveiling in the heart of Balboa Park with a well-attended reception at the San Diego History Center on September 25. Oral histories, archival materials, and augmented reality are used to immerse visitors in an exploration of the colorful histories of Julian, City Heights, the Gaslamp Quarter, La Jolla, Chollas View, Southcrest, and MLK Way.
The exhibition is meant “to shine a light on stories that the powers that be wanted to bury” said Finnie, one of the minds behind “Lost Neighborhoods.” “[It’s] about more than maps and photos. It’s about families torn apart, businesses bulldozed, culture erased, all in the name of progress.”
The exhibition will be available to the public for viewing at the San Diego History Center through May 2026.
Keep an eye out for the full story coming soon to www.sdvoice.info.