USC Village must increase its inclusivity to the South Central community

USC Village used to be a place where the surrounding South Central community could grocery shop, eat and spend time with friends or family. However, since its renovation in 2017, USC Village has become a place that primarily serves students and alienates the low-income community it used to serve. 

Before USC Village had a Trader Joe’s and Target, there was a Superior Grocers, where many community members would shop for their groceries. I remember going there as a kid with my mom because it was convenient and affordable. I used to see my community at USC Village, but when I go there with my family now, we sense that the space is not meant for us. We feel like visitors in a place that used to belong to us. 

The truth is USC Village isn’t meant to be a space for the community anymore and the Trader Joe’s is one of the biggest indicators. There are about 15 Trader Joe’s in Los Angeles and its surrounding cities, but there is only one in South Central, and it’s in USC Village. 

Trader Joe many locations outside of low-income neighborhoods speaks volumes about whom it defines as its customer base. Superior Grocers is far different from Trader Joe’s. 

Superior Grocers, which has many locations in South Central, makes serving neglected communities its priority. Not only was Superior Grocers cheaper, but it also took up the space now shared by Trader Joe’s and Target, which both clearly serve higher-income students — a majority of USC’s student population. 

When you live in a low-income neighborhood and see a Trader Joe’s or a Whole Foods, it means one thing: gentrification. And, USC Village has been one of the University’s largest gentrification projects. 

USC Village is very convenient for students and staff alike, so complete destruction is not expected. However, there are small ways in which USC can make USC Village a more inclusive space. 

For example, USC currently hosts an Arts Performance series where musicians and artists come to showcase their craft in USC Village. This is a good thing and it should continue, but what if USC Village expanded the scope of the events it hosts? 

USC Village plans to host a Día De Los Muertos celebration on Nov. 6, which will feature dance performances from a variety of regions in Mexico. The event is from 3 to 6 p.m., which seems awfully short. The advertisement promotes the restaurants within USC Village, but USC Village could invite local vendors onto the grounds to sell authentic Mexican food, such as pan de muerto or champurrado, which are two typical foods from Day of the Dead celebrations. 

However, USC should also make more of an effort to include the surrounding community throughout the entire year and not just during celebrations. At the beginning of this semester, I remember seeing a man selling sliced fruit across the street from USC Village, which should make space for vendors, such as that man, because it would invite the community and deconstruct the space for small business owners to thrive. 

Additionally, USC can make it more apparent that USC Village’s Great Lawn is also open to community members who want to have picnics or play sports. The 32nd Street USC Magnet School would particularly benefit from using this lot. 

I often see their students in physical education class on the small green spaces on University Avenue — a space that is not adequate for physical education. USC Village’s green space is large enough, and it would allow these kids to explore a variety of sports and activities. It’s only a walk away from 32nd St., and sharing this space with kids who live in South Central would be the first step in reconstructing the image USC Village once had. 

Google defines a village as “a self-contained district or community within a town or city, regarded as having features characteristic of village life.” USC Village is a self-contained district, but it isn’t a community. Through these small changes and collaboration with organizations that are dedicated to helping the people of South Central, USC Village can become a community that lives up to its name.