The L.A. Stop of Black Future Newsstand Shows What’s Possible When the Media Loves Black People
- tmanon1
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
By: MMM Editorial Team
When you’re building something radically new, it can be hard to get others to see – and fully understand– your vision.
For media reparations, specifically, much of the work is conceptual: changing how communities are seen and covered by media, shifting who gets to tell the story, and making space for joy, truth, and repair. It's a complex layer added to an often misunderstood industry: news and media. The Black Future Newsstand allows us to shift much of this abstract work into the real world, grounding it in an exhibition visitors can step into and share this vision with us since most will never have firsthand interactions with press to see this change until it's reflected in copy– often the last step.
The upcoming Los Angeles stop of the Black Future Newsstand is the fourth in just two years and demonstrates both the power of narrative and the desire for better news. This stop specifically explores dozens of first-hand accounts from local residents who reflect on the 2020 Black Lives Matter uprisings through an audio exhibit where visitors can hear these stories in residents' own voices. There will also be the actual newsstand, showcasing Black-owned outlets that put our communities front and center.
This LA exhibition is where bold ideas meet the real world and where imagination becomes tangible.
Here’s the official press release we’re sharing with media:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tianna Manon
The Black Future Newsstand Arrives in L.A. May 2– The Popular Traveling Exhibit Will Showcase the Lived Experience of Residents from the 2020 BLM Uprising
LOS ANGELES, CA — On May 2, 2025, the Black Future Newsstand Presents: Riot to Repair Soundscape Exhibition will open in Los Angeles, offering an immersive, multimedia experience that invites audiences to step into a reimagined world where Black narratives are celebrated and uplifted.
The exhibition, created by Media 2070 in collaboration with the Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab at the University of Southern California, brings together several installations, workshops, and programming, as well as a major community archive to show what’s possible when the media truly loves Black people—rooting this in the physical space of a newsstand.
The main exhibit for this stop—its fourth nationally—will feature a collection of more than 70 audio interviews with local residents who share their experiences from the 2020 Black Lives Matter uprising, sparked by the killing of unarmed Black men and the death of George Floyd.
Key features of this exhibition:
Riot to Repair audio archive: Audio interviews with local residents who sat down with USC journalists
The Black Future Newsstand: Printed works and zines from Black news outlets from across the nation
Workshops, panels, and additional programming: Top media experts will provide insider perspectives on media harms and current solutions
In a time when distrust in the news is high and Black communities remain misrepresented or ignored, The Black Future Newsstand offers something rare: hope. Join us as we reclaim our stories, challenge the status quo, and explore the radical power of Black narrative. This isn’t just an exhibit—it’s a glimpse into the world we’re building together.
Event Details
Date: May 2, 2025
Location: Mid-City Los Angeles. Request address details from media contact
Website: https://blackfuturenewsstand.com/
About Media 2070
Media 2070 is committed to the radical dismantling of oppressive news structures and media systems. This work is an idea, welcoming critique and feedback. It is liberation work within a lineage of civil-rights activism, racial-justice organizing, and calls for reparations.https://blackfuturenewsstand.com
The Future in Plain Sight
The LA stop will be more than a program or installation—it’ll be a turning point. A clear, visible receipt of the kind of world we’re working to create: one where media doesn’t just reflect trauma, but celebrates resilience. Where Black storytelling is not an afterthought but the foundation.
Events like these help transform our most radical ideas—media love, narrative repair, justice-forward platforms—into something legible, accessible, and real. They invite the public, the press, and the people into our vision.
And they prove that when we tell better stories, we build better systems.
We invite you to join us—not just in LA, but in the long-term work of reimagining how stories are told, who gets to tell them, and what futures they make possible.
Reach out for press or partnership
We’re not just dreaming of a better future. We’re making it real.
Interested in working with our team? Schedule a call with our team and tell us more about your vision for the world.