When asked of her motivation for starting The Unusual Suspects, founder Laura Leigh Hughes often tells the story of catching a falling ash in her hand. While this may sound like a metaphor for the spark of social consciousness, for Hughes the translation is literal.
“I remember on April 29th 1992 when I caught a black ash in my hand that was falling from the sky. It was part of our city, burning to the ground during the uprising.”
Indeed, the Los Angeles uprising is still considered the worst race riot in US history. The six days during which the riot raged, from April 29th 1992 to May 4th, have come to be known as L.A.'s darkest hours, not only by the Angelenos who witnessed the devastation and violence that tore apart the city, but also by those who watched the event unfold through national and international media coverage.
The rage that sparked the riots was the result, not only of the acquittal of four white police officers in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King, but also of years of poverty and racial animosity amongst the urban minorities that populate the city.
“Los Angeles had been torn apart by poverty, racism, violence and a lack of sense of how we are all connected to each other,” says Hughes. “ I saved that ash to remind me of the turmoil of those days and made a decision to bring forth something good out of those ashes.”
And that is exactly what she did.
After batting around a few ideas, Hughes finally landed on the idea for The Unusual Suspects. As an actress, Hughes understood the powerful force for positive change that theatre could be. She decided to bring theatre to underserved youth in the Los Angeles area, a population she felt was affected the most by poverty and hopelessness. “Children are cultural informants. I wanted to empower them and give them a voice, “ she says.
And so, working out of a tiny closet office in her home near Hancock Park, Hughes rallied fellow actors and industry friends to support the project. In 1993 the company, in collaboration with the Department of Child and Family Services, mounted its first show with youth from foster care and Hughes had a chance to see the impact of theatre on youth first hand.
“What these kids say through their theatrical work is compelling and powerful. These kids break your heart sometimes. They've been through so much.”
With the momentum of the first show Hughes continued to grow the organization, eventually expanding the program's reach to youth in juvenile justice, psychiatric rehabiliation facilties, foster care and Los Angeles County schools.
The Unusual Suspects has come a long way since those early days in Hughes' closet. Now celebrating its 15th birthday, the organization is reaching over 300 at-risk and underserved youth in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Since 2005, the organization has grown over 400%, adding three new partner sites since January and increasing the number of program sites from two to eight.
And so, from a falling ash, to a bedroom closet, to a cozy office in Culver City, The Unusual Suspects has risen above the tragedy from which it grew, becoming something with an impact more far reaching than even Hughes could have imagined.
As a recent workshop participant wrote, “There's a lot of racial tension. Normally you wouldn't see everyone working together, but this program helped us do it.”
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