For 20 years, the Taste of Soul festival has brought food, music and community pride to Crenshaw Boulevard in Los Angeles. This year’s festival, held on Oct. 18, carried even deeper meaning for organizers and festivalgoers. The day before the celebration, the City of Los Angeles officially named the intersection of Crenshaw and Obama boulevards Danny J. Bakewell Sr. Square, honoring the civil rights leader, businessman and founder of Taste of Soul.

At the dedication, Bakewell reflected on how the festival became something larger than he ever imagined — a celebration created by and for Black Los Angeles. He described Taste of Soul as “a big family reunion,” a day that proves the community can build and sustain something powerful on its own streets.

On the morning of the festival, Crenshaw

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