US is 26 Years Strong! We believe that being unique is a core component of self-expression, which is at the heart of everything we teach. That is why we we are commemorating this year as our 26th Year Anniversary. Born out of the ashes of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots, actress Laura Leigh Hughes [...]
Who is Julio? Back in 2013, Julio was a young man who was incarcerated at Camp Gonzalez, a now-closed juvenile-detention facility for minors. Before his incarceration, Julio was living in South Central LA, experiencing a childhood filled with violence and drug addiction. As a child, [...]
Dear Friend, Last week our Executive Director, Melissa Denton, told you about the critical role of Teaching Artists and how The Unusual Suspects (US) ensures – with your direct help – that they have the tools to deliver quality programs. (click HERE if you missed it). I am Yolanda [...]
Dear Friend, The arts are vital, especially for our most vulnerable youth. According to the National Endowment for the Arts: “students who have arts-rich experiences in school do better across-the-board academically, and they also become more active and engaged citizens, voting, volunteering, [...]
Join US for “The Secrets We Don’t Know” In my eyes You’ll see tears that dried The days I’ve cried The years I’ve seen In my eyes You’ll see the lives I’ve lived The soul I bear And the times I tried to conceal Myself In my eyes [...]
Meet Edwin… Edwin is a young man we met at a juvenile jail last summer. One night, fueled by alcohol, Edwin and his friends had taken things too far. They were charged with destruction of property and arson which led to Edwin’s incarceration. While serving his sentence, he [...]
Springing Into Action! TOMORROW is A Night With US! Tuesday, February 28, 2017 Happy Hour – 6pm | Show – 7pm @ Three Clubs (1123 Vine St.) $10 suggested donation Invite your friends! The more the merrier! (21+ only) Host: Maile Flanagan Starring: Zachary Abel, Brandon [...]
Thanks to support from people like you, in 2016 we reached more youth in need than ever before with our playwriting and performance workshops! But it’s the deeply transformative affect our programs have that we’re most proud of. For the students that completed our after-school [...]
They See / I See “What people see when they look at me is my dark skin She’s my best friend If bruised she may turn blue But nevertheless she’s the perfect shade of hue What they don’t know about me is I didn’t always love the skin I’m in. It took some years to face my fears. [...]
Little Heroes This Fall, 30 middle school students collaborated to create the original play, Love Untitled. Together, they bravely told the story of not-so-ordinary students navigating a not-so-ordinary love triangle. Their story is about embracing difference, confronting bullies and the [...]
#Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to support life changing work. But we don’t want you to just support our work. We want you to Sustain our work. For as little as $10 a month, you can be a consistent presence in the lives of kids who really need it. You can sustain our innovative [...]
