White Hall Arts Academy’s Rock The Block 2025 to Celebrate Inaugural Soundworks Graduation and Honor James Fauntleroy

South LA festival highlights $700K County investment in workforce development, live performances, youth art, expungement services, and free community resources

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, July 10, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- White Hall Arts Academy is making history this summer with its largest annual Rock The Block festival yet. On Sunday, July 27, in partnership with Park Mesa Heights Community Council, the South LA nonprofit will celebrate the graduation of the inaugural cohort of its Soundworks workforce development program. Recently selected as a High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) grantee by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), the program is receiving a $700,000 investment to expand its high-quality creative sector training throughout LA County—part of a $17 million initiative funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and Care First Community Investment. City of Los Angeles residents are invited to join the celebration, witness this historic graduation, and experience a powerful day of music, culture, and community impact.

Taking place from 12 PM to 4 PM on 54th Street between 7th and 3rd Avenues in South Los Angeles, this free, family-friendly street festival will draw more than 3,500 attendees for a vibrant day of community connection. The event will feature youth performances, interactive creative experiences, free community resources, and the presentation of the Lifetime Changemaker Award to Grammy and Academy Award-winning songwriter and producer James Fauntleroy, whose work has helped define the sound of global superstars like Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, and Rihanna.

Immediately following the award presentation, Fauntleroy will participate in a live Changemakers Panel, moderated by South LA culture leader Tina “Slauson Girl” Sampay, alongside fellow visionaries Candace Newman (Live Out L!ve), Tyrone Nance (It’s Bigger Than Us), Judge Songhai Armstead (LA Justice Care and Opportunities Dept), and Jonathan Kirkland (Hamilton)—offering an intimate conversation on culture, leadership, and building access to opportunity for the next generation.

“Soundworks is about unlocking access where doors have long been closed,” said Tanisha Hall, Founder & Executive Director of White Hall Arts Academy Foundation. “Rock The Block is the perfect place to celebrate that breakthrough. We’re not just teaching technical skills—we’re investing in our community’s long-term potential and showing the creative industry what inclusive opportunity really looks like.”

Additional event highlights include free grocery and community resource giveaways from Vallarta Supermarket and It’s Bigger Than Us, health screenings by Charles Drew Medical Center, and on-site expungement services provided by the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office. Guests can also explore STEM and arts activities for youth, mural painting with Destination Crenshaw, and music creation in the Mobile Sessions recording studio—with a chance to win instruments from The Guitar Center Foundation.

The day will feature high-energy entertainment, including performances by DJ Bad, Boomer the Clown, a vibrant HBCU-style Step Show, and appearances by KJLH’s Ricky Ruckus. Families can enjoy yoga and dance programming in the Fitness Zone, live mural painting, and electric vehicle test drives hosted by Plug In America and LADWP.

Presented in partnership with LADWP, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Rock The Block continues to serve as a cultural cornerstone of South LA—bringing families, changemakers, and creatives together in the spirit of joy, progress, and purpose.

To register for the event or access free services, visit www.rocktheblockla.com.


ABOUT WHITE HALL ARTS ACADEMY
Founded in 2011 by veteran music educator Tanisha Hall, White Hall Arts Academy is a nonprofit creative education hub rooted in South Los Angeles. WHAA provides accessible, high-quality music, media, and performing arts training to underserved communities. With the launch of Soundworks, its workforce development initiative, WHAA is bridging the gap between talent and opportunity in LA’s creative economy.

ABOUT SOUNDWORKS & HRTP
Soundworks was recently selected for the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity’s High Road Training Partnerships Fund—a $17 million initiative to support high-quality, equity-driven workforce training programs. Funded through the American Rescue Plan Act and Care First Community Investment, HRTP supports industries and communities most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic inequities.

#RockTheBlockLA2025 | @whitehallartsacademy

Crystal Willis
White Hall Arts Academy
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Rock The Block Festival Highlights

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