A group of religious and civic leaders is seeking public support for a long-stalled memorial in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo honoring the African American preacher who a century ago launched a multiracial mission there that grew into the worldwide Pentecostal movement.
The project has been bogged down for nearly 10 years in part because the Japanese American Community and Cultural Center has refused to allow a mural on a wall it owns on the Azusa Street site where the Rev. William J. Seymour's church once stood. In addition, some local clergy are concerned about Pentecostal churches' conservative stances on religious and social issues.
Hoping to capitalize on the current Black History Month, proponents said the "Azusa Street SpiritWalk" would be a spiritual destination for Pentecostals from around the world and help boost Little Tokyo's sagging economy.
The project, estimated to cost $250,000, would consist of an outdoor promenade and a mural depicting the histories of the church and of the diverse neighborhood where immigrants and nonwhites lived in the early 20th century. The area is now a trash-littered alley near 2nd and San Pedro streets facing the backs of businesses.
Though few people outside Pentecostalism know of him, Seymour was a son of slaves whose around-the-clock religious revivals drew thousands to the Azusa Street Mission and made him a revered figure.
"He stands shoulder to shoulder with such leaders of African descent as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X," said Les Hamasaki, an urban planner who serves on the Azusa Street Memorial Committee and the Tom Bradley Legacy Foundation board of directors, a group founded by the late mayor and his supporters.
The Bradley foundation, which is affiliated with UCLA, has committed $25,000 to fund a feasibility study, and the city's Community Redevelopment Agency has promised $25,000 of in-kind service, according to Hamasaki, who was on the city planning and airport commissions in the 1990s.
Last week, the city Human Relations Commission and City Councilwoman Jan Perry, whose district includes Little Tokyo, gave their support.
"It's a fascinating project," Perry said. "It's fascinating because it will broaden people's understanding about the historical context of Little Tokyo and the migration southward of Central Avenue and of African Americans. We have so many common historical roots in this city."
