A tour in Los Angeles usually means riding around the city in an open-air vehicle, as a tour guide points out celebrity homes, scenic photo-ops and iconic movie locations.
But in Boyle Heights, local historian Shmuel Gonzales takes a personal approach. The community organizer who goes by the Barrio Boychik focuses his tours around the lesser-known stories of the historically multicultural neighborhood.
“We want our history told correctly and for it to represent the stories of the working-class immigrants who live here. We needed someone from the community to be able to do it,” said Gonzales, who’s sitting by the main gates of the Evergreen Cemetery, ready to begin the walking tour. “I had to step up to the call.”