
Monumental Mobile
The Monumental mobile app is a digital storytelling platform that highlights Black news landmarks across the West Coast. It preserves and shares the histories of communities shaped by systemic inequities and resilience. Through multimedia storytelling and location-based technology, Monumental offers an immersive experience, allowing users to explore significant sites connected to Black life and culture in California, Oregon, and Washington.
Reclaiming Black histories through digital storytelling
The Monumental mobile app is more than just a digital guide—it’s a groundbreaking tool for reclaiming, preserving, and amplifying Black history across the West Coast. What makes it truly special is its ability to unearth hidden histories, shedding light on Black news landmarks and cultural sites that have been erased, overlooked, or misrepresented. Rather than being a static historical record, Monumental serves as a living archive, incorporating community contributions, oral histories, and ongoing research to keep Black history alive and relevant.
By bridging past and present, the app not only preserves history but also prompts users to reflect on the ongoing impact of systemic inequities and the resilience of Black communities. Monumental isn’t just about revisiting the past—it’s about honoring resilience, reclaiming space, and ensuring these vital stories remain accessible for generations to come.
Monumental promises not only to preserve Altadena’s legacy but also to serve as a catalyst for deeper conversations about the intersections of racial justice, urban development, and community resilience. By spotlighting Altadena—a historically Black community profoundly shaped by redlining and the devastation of the Eaton Fire—the app transforms history into a living, interactive experience that invites visitors to connect past struggles with contemporary challenges.
Through features like oral histories, archival imagery, and augmented reality, visitors can immerse themselves in the lives of Altadena’s multigenerational residents, whose stories of resilience and community pride offer valuable lessons on how marginalized groups have long fought for their place in the American landscape. The app challenges users to think critically about the structural inequities that shaped towns like Altadena while inspiring them to envision more equitable futures.
This work aligns seamlessly with our mission to amplify historically marginalized voices through reparative journalism. By correcting the record and elevating the narratives of those who have been overlooked or misrepresented, the Monumental app empowers communities to reclaim their histories while fostering empathy, understanding, and a renewed commitment to justice in all who engage with its stories.