Arianne Edmonds is a fifth-generation Angeleno, civic leader, and founder of the J.L. Edmonds Project, an initiative dedicated to preserving and sharing the histories of Black communities in the American West. Drawing from her family archives dating back to the 1850s, her work emphasizes the role of memory, legacy, and storytelling in shaping public understanding of Black history.

Her archival and cultural contributions have been featured in The New York Times’ 1619 Project, The Root, and LA Weekly, and she has presented her research at institutions including the Hammer Museum, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the LA Department of Cultural Affairs. Arianne is a former Commissioner of the Los Angeles Public Library and currently a Senior Civic Media Fellow at USC Annenberg. She also serves as Lead Curator for an interagency Black history initiative between California State Parks and the California African American Museum.