Divine Media Group founder DeMira Pierre is showing us around the city she loves, so much so that she created a festival to break the stigma associated with Compton and bring light to all it has to offer.
DeMira Pierre, Compton Fest founder, believes this is an ode to her city.
“For me, it is my love letter to the city. I’m from here, born and raised here, so when I go into these corporate spaces, I wear Compton very proudly,” Pierre said. “There’s this generation of grassroots community folks that are saying no, we’re going to take our city back and do it on our own and boost up our efforts.”
They recently put on their second annual event with a wellness row, resource row, vendor row, and kids zone. One of the honorees was the Compton Wellness Collective, which just opened a new brick-and-mortar healing hub.
“We don’t do it for the recognition, but when someone says, ‘Hey, I see you; we love the work that you’re doing,’ I really appreciate DeMira and the Compton Fest team for seeing us and the work that we’re doing,” said Veronica Clanton-Higgins from Compton Wellness Collective.
DeMira’s team helps her shine light on the other side of Compton, not always seen through music and pop culture.
“Also there was that kind of dark side that people talk about, you know, the police sirens and, you know, the crime activity and all that kind of stuff. And when you actually spend time here, you’ll see that it’s much more than that,” said festival co-chair Alvin Addo
That includes a rich history that every once in a while intertwines with some big names, as I learned at the Compton Art and History Museum.
Plus, the list of stars who grew up here includes Kendrick Lamar, the Williams sisters, and even Kevin Costner. In the meantime, they’re preparing for a third year and beyond!
“Compton Fest’s 10th-year anniversary. What does that mean? Do we have Kendrick? Do we have Kevin Costner? Do we have all the big kinds of legends, like Serena and Venus, as honorees? I don’t know. Stay tuned,” said festival co-chair James Drake.