L.A. City Council Declares May 21st, “John Singleton Day”

Photo credit: Getty / Kevork Djansezian

Los Angeles City Council President Herb J. Wesson Jr. will declare May 21, 2019 “John Singleton Day” in Los Angeles. On Tuesday, The Los Angeles City Council will be commemorating the life and legacy of the legendary Los Angeles filmmaker, John singleton who passed away on April 28.

The announcement will take place at Bovard Auditorium at the University of Southern California, where a celebration of Singletons life will take place. Singleton studied film and graduated from the University’s School of Cinematic Arts in 1990.

President Wesson stated, “There is not enough that can be said about John Singleton and the profound impact he made in his 51 years of life.” While acknowledging Singleton’s accomplishments, Wesson continued to explain how John overcame and became the best at his craft. John Singleton opened people’s eyes to a reality and an experience of South Los Angeles that was being overlooked by society.

John Daniel Singleton a Los Angeles native, was born on January 6, 1968 and grew up in South Central. In his early life, Singleton developed a love for cinema and became one of the most praised graduates of USC School of Cinematic Arts. Shortly after graduating from USC, Singleton worked on his debut film, “Boyz N The Hood,” which earned him an Academy Award nomination made him the youngest director, and first African-American writer-director nominated. Two decades later, the film was placed in the Library of Congress, a mark for its cultural and historical significance.

Singleton’s work spanned genres and showcased his creativity in film, he also lent his talents to television. He worked on a variety of films that highlighted the life of men and the crisis in American masculinity.

Singleton enjoyed giving opportunities to new talent, and became known for the launching the careers of Tupac Shakur, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Ice Cube, Taraji P. Henson, Tyrese, and Regina King.