What Los Angeles Taught Us and Why We’re Asking You to Give Back
When I think about how far the Arts Administrators of Color Network has come, I can’t help but smile. What started as a space where arts leaders of color could find one another, learn from each other, and feel less alone has grown into something much bigger. And this year, we reached a milestone that still feels a little surreal: we brought AAC to the West Coast, LA to be specific, for the very first time.
The idea of hosting a convening in LA had lived in the back of my mind for years. The city is a tapestry of diasporas, a place where art and activism are inseparable, and where communities have navigated deep histories of trauma, migration, erasure, and, just as importantly, breathtaking resilience. If AAC was going to expand westward, it needed to happen with intention. With care and with place at the center.
That’s exactly how this convening came together.
As we began planning, we didn’t start with venues; we started with relationships. It happened over conversations with local arts leaders, late-night calls across time zones, and sharing stories. Every connection reminded me why this work matters: people of color in arts administration deserve community, resources, visibility, and a sense of belonging. Slowly, the convening began to take shape, not as an itinerary, but as a collective heartbeat.
While we collaborated with different organizations throughout LA County, there were two partner organizations, in particular, that grounded us in LA’s cultural and historical landscape.
As a Black-led cultural hub, the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center (by way Ebony Repertory Theatre) has long served as a home for creativity, community gathering, and intergenerational exchange. Being there felt like stepping into a lineage of storytelling, artistry, and leadership that continues to shape LA’s cultural landscape. Starting the first day at Nate Holden reminded us that our communities, across identity, disciplines, and geography, are connected through shared commitments to healing, storytelling, and joy.
On our second day, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes offered us a setting that felt alive with memory at the heart of Los Angeles. The museum is situated in a historic neighborhood that has witnessed struggle, celebration, displacement, and cultural continuity across generations. Walking through its campus, you could feel the layers of history and the many stories still lingering in the air. It reminded us that our work doesn’t exist in a vacuum: we are always entering into spaces shaped by those who came before us.
Bringing AAC’s Annual Convening to LA was not just a logistical project; it was a spiritual one. And, to be honest, it was personal. That’s why I decided to become a convening sponsor. I’ve seen firsthand what happens when arts administrators of color can gather: ideas spark, collaborations form, people find mentors they didn’t know they needed, and suddenly the work feels less heavy. Convenings like this change trajectories. They build power. They restore people. They remind us that we belong here—in every room and every part of the arts ecosystem.
But experiences like this don’t happen without support.
That’s why Giving Tuesday means so much this year. After what we built together in LA, I can see even more clearly how crucial it is to sustain this work, not just once, but consistently. This campaign is our chance to fuel the future of AAC: more convenings, more professional development, more community care, and more opportunities for arts administrators of color to thrive.
If LA taught us anything, it’s that the work we do is bigger than a single city or a single moment. It’s a movement. And movements grow when people invest their time, their connections, and yes, their resources.
So on December 2nd, I invite you to give. Whether it’s $5, $50, $500, or simply sharing AAC’s work with your network, every act of support helps us continue building spaces that nurture, empower, and uplift the next generation of arts leaders of color.
Standing in Los Angeles, surrounded by brilliant leaders and held by partner organizations that rooted us in history and place, I felt something shift. It felt like opening a new chapter, not just for Arts Administrators of Color Network, but for all of us who believe in this work.
Deliasofia Zacarias
Board Secretary
Arts Administrators of Color Network
Check our recap video and read AAC’s Erika Hawthorne’s reflections on the 2025 Convening!