In ​1968, The Latin American Youth Center opened its doors to Latin youth living near Columbia Heights in D.C. Since its creation, the youth center has acted as a sanctuary for the local community to come together and provide opportunities for youth in the local Latin community. 

The Mount Pleasant riots of 1991 mobilized the community against the mistreatment of Latinos in the area and came to fruition in LAYC facilities; the center still pushes for the betterment of the Latino community today. LAYC has been a pillar in the District's history and acted as a space for youth to explore art, academics, and activism in a safe space for decades.

LAYC: Past and Present acts as an assemblage of the history, present, and future of the center, and highlights its holistic generational impact. This project melds the artwork of youth, historical archives, and documentary photography to highlight the culmination of the center's past and present. The Latin American Youth Center is a fundamental piece of the District's history and has sustained the dreams and ambitions of the community’s youth through the entirety of its 54 years.