GCDN Annual Convening – Los Angeles 2025

What do you make of the moment? Can you see yourself fully reflected in the story of your beloved place on the map? How has that place been renamed, reimagined, or erased over its history? And how will the next generation tell the story of our time – and are you okay with what they’ll say… or won’t?

We are living in an era when extreme nationalist agendas are aggressively working to erase the full spectrum of human history. In the face of this removal, remembering forgotten narratives becomes an act of resistance, and surfacing new stories allows communities to reclaim place and shape legacy with dignity and purpose.

For cultural districts, the collective meaning-making that goes into the story of place is not just a reflection of the past – it’s a tool to future-proof identity. This session explores how cultural leaders can move from being custodians of inherited stories to becoming agents of change through the strategic, community-driven use of narrative – drawing on the Los Angeles context to examine how stories rooted in place can ignite action and shape a more just and inclusive future.