Watts: From Riot to Festival

First edition, stated "special issue." Photographs by Watts-Compton resident Edward Pearson. Prologue by the publisher, Wendell T. Handy. "A New Era of Understanding" and text by Watts-Compton resident Penn Lovingood, Jr. Slim quarto. [32]pp. Heavily illustrated in black and white from photographs. Wrappers worn with a lightly abraded "X" and staple hole on the cover, interior tanned with some creasing, marginal dampstain at the spine base and a portion of the bottom edge only touching the very edge of a few images, good only. A flawed but sound copy of this rare celebration of Watts published the year after the riots in order to promote the neighborhood and the Watts Summer Festival. The pamphlet gives an illustrated history of the riot and then abruptly changes tone with a two-page group photo of the contestants in the 1966 Miss Watts Pageant (won by Tamu Harper). This is followed by images of the festival, parade, displays, participating groups, and the entertainment; the pamphlet closes with several pages of information about the Watts area. Publisher Wendell T. Handy was an influential businessman, elected official, and community activist in South Central Los Angeles for 60 years. A charming and hopeful snapshot of Watts rebounding from the 1965 riots. Not without flaws, but very uncommon. *OCLC* locates a single copy, at Cal State Dominguez Hills; this is also the only publication by the Watts Festival Publishing Company noted by *OCLC*.…