2025 ENDANGERED LATINX LANDMARKS
Year Built:
Oakland, California
Grand Performance
1984
Painted in 1984 under the leadership of Chicano muralist Daniel Galvez, the Grand Performance Mural was created in collaboration with fellow artists and the Oakland community. Stretching 140 feet beneath the I-580 freeway near the historic Grand Lake Theatre, the mural celebrates Oakland's multicultural heritage through portraits of African American, Asian, Native, Latinx, and white cultural figures. Among the Latinx figures are Ren's Castro, John Santos, and Ray Patlon. Today, environmental wear and pollution from the freeway threaten the mural's vibrancy, and Galvez, along with his collaborators, is leading restoration efforts to ensure this community-created landmark continues to inspire future generations.
"We are stoked to be nominated to LHC's Endangered Latinx Landmarks, and we will use the nomination as fuel for the work that still lies ahead! " — Aureliano “Yano” Rivera, Friends of Grand Performance, Conservator
The Abuelas
Project
The Abuelas Project collects, curates, and amplifies stories of important Latinx movements, sites, and people across the country.
This GIS project encourages intergenerational storytelling through Storymaps that focus on Braceros, abandoned Mexican cemeteries, Route 66, and more.
Latinx Preservation Toolkit
The Toolkit is a bilingual booklet that empowers Latinx communities by demystifying historic preservation. The Texas Toolkit highlights four Latinx heritage success stories across the state, defines preservation terms, and provides guidance on how students, community members, and youth can preserve their communities.
Our next Toolkit will feature diverse stories across the borderlands.
Nuestra Herencia
Grant Program
We launched Nuestra Herencia Grant Program in 2024, providing $600,000 annually for Latinx heritage and historic preservation projects. This funding initiative focuses on empowering grassroots, Latinx-centered nonprofits.
It is supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, in partnership with the Social Impact Fund, which has contributed $1.8 million over three years.