Juanita Tate

Juanita Tate (1938 – July 5, 2004) was an American community activist who organized to address issues related to environmentalism, housing, and economic access for all residents in South Central Los Angeles. She is responsible for leading efforts to address housing and food disparities in South Central after the '92 riots. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and relocated to the city of Los Angeles in the early 1980s. After the 1992 Los Angeles riots, she and Robin Cannon helped to found Concerned Citizens of South Central LA.

Tate was a member of the City of Los Angeles's Environmental Action Commission from 2002 until her death from complications of a stroke.

There are plans for a school to be built named Juanita Tate Elementary School on land seized by the Los Angeles Unified School District from the Concerned Citizens of South Central LA.^[1]

There is a retail shopping center named for Juanita Tate, The Juanita Tate Marketplace. Opened in April 2014 in Southern Los Angeles, the retail shopping center built on a brownfield that was formerly a scrap yard and recycling center, commemorates her contribution to the community while she was a CCSCLA member. In April 2015 the marketplace was sold to private investors.^[2]

Honors[]

• NAACP Legacy Award
• Western Center for Law and Poverty Community Service Award
• California Community Foundation Unsung Hero Award
• California State Legislature Woman of the Year Award

See also[]

• South Central Farm
• Concerned Citizens of South Central LA

References[]

• "Juanita Tate, Civil Rights Hero (1938-2004)", newsletter, 2004.
• "Los Angeles Says Goodbye to Juanita Tate", An Environmental Affair, Volume 15, Issue 8, August 2004.