ALISON ROSE JEFFERSON, ​MHC | PhD

​A third-generation Californian, born and raised in Los Angeles, Alison is a publicly engaged independent historian and heritage conservation consultant. She brings expertise of Los Angeles and Southern California landscapes that feature historical significance as well as contemporary consequence which will help VHF elucidate less familiar stories of the Venice community’s historically diverse populations. She has completed a few Applied/Public History projects in recent years—Santa Monica’s Belmar History + Art and the Angels Walk LA Central Avenue Heritage Trail—which exemplify her work to re-center the African American experience in regional history, heritage conservation efforts, civic memory, and the American identity. Her most recent book, Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era (University of Nebraska Press), was awarded the 2020 Miriam Matthews Ethnic History Award by the Los Angeles City Historical Society for its exceptional contributions to the greater understanding and awareness of regional history.