The "Great Wall of Los Angeles" depicts the history of California "as seen through the eyes of women and minorities" in many connected panels. The first panels begin with prehistory and colonialism. The very first panel was designed by Christina Schlesinger and depicts native wildlife and the creation story of the indigenous Chumash. Most of the following panels deal with events of the 20th century, including Chinese labor contributions to the United States, the arrival of Jewish refugees (fleeing oppression and the Holocaust) and their contributions to the culture and history of Los Angeles, refugees from the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, the Japanese-American internment of World War II, the Zoot Suit Riots, the Freedom Bus rides, the disappearance of Rosie the Riveter, gay rights activism, the story of Biddy Mason, deportations of Mexican Americans, the birth of rock and roll, and the development of suburbia. The wall covers the history of California up to the 1950s. Each section of the wall was designed by a different artist under the supervision of Baca.