African Americans Could Claim "We2" re: RFK Mural Of Ava Gardner

I waited to write about this controversy because something had been nagging at me and now I know for sure, what it had been.

Even though Myron Hunt is the architect of record, who built the original Ambassador Hotel, Paul R. Williams is credited with making some key renovations and re-designs to the exterior, the coffee shop and most notably the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub, which muralist, Beau Stanton, references by depicting the nightclub's Moorish designs as motifs seen on what seems like the goddess Athena's helmet on top of Gardner's head.

Paul Williams was African American and even though he created what became the hottest nightclub in Los Angeles, he wasn't allowed to be a patron, because the Ambassador had been for whites only. This is the same exact venue at which Clark Gable had to get Hattie MacDaniel, a special waiver to allow her to attend the Oscar ceremony at which she won Best Supporting Actress for Gone With The Wind, and one needs to know that on this side of the Continental Divide, there had been extraordinary abuse that's on a par with the Confederacy, because they have been buried in history books, the shame of this country's hideous embrace of slavery and racism, existed in L.A., and, even worse, Torrance, Glendale and in Culver City, where Gone With The Wind was made, these were called Sunset Towns- no blacks nor other conspicuous minorities were allowed to be there when the sun came down. Culver City was incorporated in 1917 specifically as an all white town.

The additional insult to Ms. MacDaniel from the B.M.O.C. Clark Gable- he did not invite her to sit at the same table with all the big wigs from the movie: Selznick, Leigh, Olivier, DeHavilland- because they were a collective, i.e., white lives mattered more.

All of Los Angeles had so much intentional bigotry- even a stretch of Wilshire Blvd, when it was named, Miracle Mile- in a predominantly Catholic City- mostly poor, whose people had prided themselves in having an archdiocese downtown- which was town, someone making commerce was making faith seem perverse.

I happen to have done much research on architecture and the history of the movie industry, and I also know Paul Williams' granddaughter, and more people should know Paul Williams name, at the very mention, as he is the Frank Gehry of his time, in terms of abundance- Williams' work is everywhere and Frank Gehry didn't need to learn how to do architectural sketches upside down, as had Williams, because many of his rich and famous residential clients didn't want to sit next to the non-white architect they chose over everyone else.

I feel certain Mr. Stanton has no idea about any of this, and it is more historically specific than suggestive, as are those sun rays, embedded in his mural, with historical accuracy, but I don't think RFK nor his friend, Cesar Chavez, both American heroes, would suggest a gorgeous work of art whose intent is to bring joy and honor to a school in a less advantaged part of town, should be destroyed, and I plan to ask Ms. Shabazz, Malcolm X's daughter, what she thinks, as she is an extraordinary custodian of her father's legacy, and of course, I'll speak to Karen Hunter, Paul William's granddaughter.

mural photo taken from PATCH story; photos of Paul Williams courtesy of Wikipedia.