Fernando Pullum, the founder and teacher behind the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center in Leimert Park, was named the Los Angeles Rams' second pLAymaker of 2026. The tuition-free center Pullum built serves more than 1,200 students annually, offering free performing arts education to young people across South Los Angeles.
The pLAymakers program, which the team launched under the NFL's Inspire Change platform, honors 13 Angelenos annually for fighting injustice and pioneering with purpose in their local communities, with each recipient receiving a financial grant and on-field recognition during a Rams home game at SoFi Stadium, according to the Los Angeles Rams.
East West Bank, headquartered in Southern California, signed a multiyear agreement this month to become the Rams' official community banking partner, taking on presenting sponsorship of both the pLAymakers initiative and the team's Fighting Hunger program, as reported by Pasadena Now.
Four Decades Teaching Music in South LA
Pullum's path to Leimert Park runs through Washington Prep High School, where he took over the music program after moving to Los Angeles in 1984.
That track record has followed his students well beyond the classroom. Former Pullum students have earned eight Grammy Awards and performed alongside artists including Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, and Bruno Mars, per the Rams' own writeup announcing his pLAymaker honor.
A Center Born From Personal Struggle
Pullum's motivation traces back to his own childhood in Chicago, where he was raised by his great-grandmother in a household affected by parental drug addiction. He has said music education saved his life, a conviction that led him to open a performing arts center that accepts all interested youth without auditions or screening for prior talent, according to the Los Angeles Standard Newspaper.
That open-door philosophy plays out in the sheer scope of what the center offers. The California Arts Council reports the center runs 136 classes per week across 24 fields of study, spanning brass, woodwinds, drums, guitar, recording technology, choir, drama, and dance.
Leimert Park's Cultural Renaissance
The center sits in Leimert Park, a South Los Angeles neighborhood described by PBS SoCal as a planned community born in the 1920s and a hub for African American arts and culture.
Pullum's honor also follows the Rams' recognition of other 2026 pLAymakers, including their posthumous naming of Compton's Eric Washington as the program's fourth honoree of the season.
