RPA Journeys Through Santa Monica’s Black History With Unapologetic Walking Tour

Santa Monica, Calif. is a predominantly white city, but it was once home to the thriving Black community of Belmar, which was established during the Great Migration but destroyed in the 1950s to build the Santa Monica Freeway and Santa Monica Civic Center.

Indie agency RPA, which has been based in Santa Monica for more than 30 years, is marking Black History Month by creating a walking tour of the city called Black. Not Sorry, focused on its lost landmarks and the Black joy they represented.

The agency’s Black employee resource group What’s Good? placed QR codes at eight spots throughout the city that link to videos explaining the sites’ significance. Hosted by RPA digital producer A.C. Sanford and associate community manager of digital strategy and products Camille Wright, the videos were also shared across LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram so that people who are not in the city can still watch. Each video, including the campaign intro, is less than 1 minute long.

Visitors to the Santa Monica Civic Center can learn how in 1914 it was home to La Bonita Bathhouse and Cafe, a vacation destination that attracted Black tourists from around the country. The neighborhood also hosted Caldwell’s Dance Hall, a popular place for people to socialize and show off their style.

The tour highlights the community’s resilience, noting that Black businesses like the Ebony Beach Club were created due to discrimination at other nearby establishments. Some videos also emphasize the locations’ role in the Civil Right Movement, with a code at the location of the former Sears Roebuck store at 302 Colorado Ave. that saw protests because it would only hire Black janitors, but not sales staff.

“We demonstrated our joy by looking back at the accomplishments of the Black people who came before us in Santa Monica through a walking tour on our socials,” RPA talent specialist Jazmen Edwards told Adweek. “Though much of the history in Santa Monica was lost, we celebrated the lives and accomplishments while spreading the word through QR codes across Santa Monica.”

What’s Good? members will also release testimonials on the “Black. Not Sorry” theme and share the joy they experience working in advertising. Internally, the group has put together a reading list featuring a book by a Black author for every day of Black History Month and supporting the local Black woman-owned bookstore Reparations Club. The agency is also hosting a raffle benefiting Black Women for Wellness, a nonprofit focused on expanding healthcare access.