About DeMarco Smith
The Man Behind the Mission
DeMarco 'NajeeTony' Smith is the founder of Maintain The Mystery and the Award-Winning author of the South Central Is Mecca history book franchise — a historian, screenwriter, and educator whose work has been featured in Forbes Magazine, Complex, The Real 92.3, Tubi, Netflix, BET and the Los Angeles Waves Newspaper.
South Central Is Mecca covers over 100 years of history, connecting students to their community and their roots. It currently sits on the shelves of the Los Angeles Public Library, inside Los Angeles Unified School District classrooms, and is permanently preserved in the Library of Congress.
A Movement in the Classroom
In Spring 2023, South Central Is Mecca made history when Audubon Middle School became the first school in LAUSD — and in the country — to not only purchase the textbooks but also implement the full curriculum and lesson plans, including weekly in-class appearances by DeMarco himself.
The program was an immediate hit. Students from other classes joined sessions just to experience it. After a single day, many begged their teachers to let them participate. What DeMarco created wasn't just a lesson — it was a safe haven where students felt empowered to express themselves, share their thoughts, and critically challenge perspectives. Many called it the most fun and unique educational experience they'd ever had on campus.
An Overcomer. A Model. A Mirror.
DeMarco is a miracle baby and an overcomer. His personal story — marked by hearing loss, autism, delayed speech, and the courage to speak anyway — resonates deeply with students navigating anxiety, fears, autism, non-verbal communication, and speech disorders. By being upfront and honest about his own shortcomings and past mistakes, he shows students firsthand that anyone can turn their life around, impact others, and change the course of history. His voice has carried far beyond the classroom.
His impact is indescribable. He's living testimony that anything is possible through God and how one person with a phone and a purpose can change the world.
A Social Media Pioneer from his youth days, DeMarco found a way to weave education and community empowerment into the fabric of social media, reaching LA natives young and elderly alike with the rich community history left out of books and classrooms. One tweet made Bruce Beach go viral on every platform — until the land was returned to the family's hands. His threads introduced an entire generation to Yasuke. His weekly media spotlights helped saved local businesses from closure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
His dedication runs deep. During 2020, DeMarco made multiple public appearances campaigning for clemency for his uncle, Corvain Cooper — sentenced to federal life without the possibility of parole. He appeared on the Netflix series The Business of Drugs, Complex's 4/20 Special with the Last Prisoner Project, and starred in the BET Special Documentary Film Smoke: Black America + Marijuana alongside Nas, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Barbara Lee, and more. That documentary reached the White House — and his uncle came home.
In 2024, DeMarco received the Special Recognition Award from the Los Angeles City Historical Society alongside LA County Board of Supervisor Member Zev Yaroslavsky — an honor previously given to the Getty Foundation, the Huntington Library, USC, and CAAM. He has also guest lectured at the University of Miami, connecting the South Central Is Mecca concept to Architecture students working to revive the historic Black Miami neighborhood of Overtown.
From Twitter threads to history book franchises, future TV series, and a curriculum now taught in schools — DeMarco Smith has built an entirely new model for storytelling. One that is investigative, digital, physical, and rooted in the truth of who we are and where we come from.
South Central Is Mecca is not just a book. It is a movement to rewrite and restore what was hidden — and to make sure the next generation knows exactly where they come from.