Meet Erik Campbell of One Love Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erik Campbell.

Erik, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m originally from a small town in Minnesota. At the age of 19, I met my first wife and the mother of my son. She is black and living in small-town Minnesota while in an inter-racial marriage had its difficulties to say the least. I am my parents only child, and my son is my only child. So basically after my parents pass, I’m the last white person in my immediate family. My son is now grown and has six children himself, all with black/hispanic mothers. I really don’t see myself any different than any other parent or grandparent. I fight for the rights and future of my family, I just happen to be a different color that them all. I moved to L.A. seven years ago and started One Love Los Angeles beginning of 2019.

Has it been a smooth road?
Absolutely not. Being in an interracial marriage in small town Minnesota was not easy. When my son was younger he would have sleepovers. I would pick the kids up at school and they would come for a Friday night. But when the parents came to pick up and met my wife, it wasn’t unusual that those kids weren’t allowed to come over again. I went to look at an apartment once, loved the place, signed the paperwork and then just needed to bring my wife over to sign as well When we got there, all of a sudden the apartment wasn’t available any longer. I’ve been called a race traitor, and N lover, so many times I’ve lost count. The first time I brought my son’s mother home to meet my mother and grandmother I felt something was off but didn’t know what. Then I received a letter from my mother a few days later asking me what was I thinking, bringing a black woman home, what if the neighbors saw, what will she say to them….. needless to say we didn’t talk for about a year after that. It never dawned on me to ever tell them she was black, never crossed my mind.

Please tell us about One Love Los Angeles.
One Love Los Angeles non-profit corporation that is a civil, equal, and human rights advocacy organization. We are also a 501(c)3 approved organization. Our financial focus is bettering the community through education and entrepreneurship. Starting with the 2019-2020 school year we will give out 5 $1000 educational grants and 1 $5000 minority small business grant. What differentiates our grants from scholarships is our recipients DO NOT need to be college bound. We believe there are many great young adults that don’t have college in their future. We just want you to have a plan, a mission, on how you can positively impact your community.

Our long term goal is to yearly give out 5 $5000 educational grants and 2 $25000 minority small business grants.

We have also partnered with many small groups and entrepreneurs helping with product development, providing support for small business, and raising money for back school programs.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Unfortunately, the direction the world seems to be headed, organizations like out will be needed even more. I wish that wasn’t the case but I fear it is. We hope to change that narrative.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.onelovelosangeles.org
• Phone: 323.763.1177
• Email: erik@onelovela.org
• Instagram: instagram.com/onelovelosangeles
• Facebook: facebook.com/onelovela1

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