California (Louisville, Ky.)

Bibbs describes growing up in the California neighborhood in Louisville, teachers who mentored him in elementary and secondary school. He talks about Richard Hunt’s influence on his work, and his love of making public art. He discusses the “Firefighter's Flame” memorial, the ladder motif he uses in his work, the things he has learned about metalworking, the need for continued maintenance of public art. He also talks about the piece “Boogie Chillin’”, the developments in the Russell neighborhood, his teaching philosophy, the Commemorative Bridge piece for the Kentucky Human Rights Commission, the changes in public art he’s witnessed, the experience of what it takes to get a commission, what considerations he makes when taking on a job and he reflects on the role of public art in the community and debates about confederate monuments being removed.

Lillie Ingram is a California resident who grew up in Newburg. She discussed her childhood in a rural area of Newburg and the white flight that happened after her family was the first Black family to move into their block at 18th and Hill Street.

Neal Robertson is a Pleasure Ridge Park resident who grew up in the California neighborhood. Robertson grew up in a home his grandmother owned and he discussed how ownership gave him a different mindset from his friends who were renters. He left Louisville to play basketball and compared the racial segregation in the city to other places he lived.

Yolanda Walker is the president of the California Neighborhood Leadership Council. She discussed her concerns about a tax incremental financing district created by the city to revitalize West Louisville. She was concerned that it would lead to displacement of African American renters and higher property tax for homeowners.