Friends At Mafundi (F.A.M.)

The Los Angeles community of Watts has always been a magnet for artists. After the Watts Uprising in 1965, a youth group converted an abandoned furniture store into a performing arts center and named it the Watts Happening Coffee House. In 1967, the group formed the Mafundi Institute in the coffee house, bringing together a collective of Watts artists, musicians, and writers under the leadership of Father Amde Hamilton of the pioneering political poetry group the Watts Prophets. In 1970, a new building across the street began to house the Institute's expanding arts, culture, and social programs. Known as the Watts Happening Cultural Center — or the Mafundi Building — the space continues to promote community engagement and Black empowerment. 

In 2019, when the Mafundi Building was threatened with demolition, a community coalition formed Friends At Mafundi (F.A.M.) to help sustain the history, culture, and traditions of Watts. Its goal was to protect the building and prevent future threats by ensuring that it is granted historical and cultural designations. F.A.M. is leading the efforts to return the Mafundi Building to its place as one of the city's most prominent cultural arts centers and transform it into a state-of-the-art cultural hub and exhibition space for the people, by the people of Watts.