Laserfiche WebLink
Cite JArts&Innovation <br />City Council Memorandum <br />IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII <br />TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: JANUARY 11, 2022 <br />FROM: OFFICE OF THE MAYOR WARD: 1 <br />SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF TRANSFER OF FUNDS FOR HUMAN RELATIONS <br />COMMISSION MONETARY DONATION TO RIVERSIDE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORICAL <br />SOCIETY FOR ENHANCEMENT OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. MEMORIAL ON MAIN <br />STREET. <br />ISSUE: <br />The issue for City Council consideration, is approval of the remaining funds in the Human <br />Relations Commission's annual budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year to be granted for upgrades <br />and monument improvements. The approval is for $3,390 to be issued to the Riverside African <br />American Historical Society for their Martin Luther King Jr. memorial enhancement project. <br />RECOMMENDATION: <br />That the City Council: <br />1. Approve the amount of $3,390 from the Riverside Human Relations Commission to <br />the Riverside African American Historical Society for the MLK Jr. Memorial <br />enhancement project located on Main Street. <br />BACKGROUND: <br />Established in 2000 to preserve the Inland Empire's African American culture, the Riverside <br />African American Historical Society, Inc. (RAAHS) has focused on being true to their mission, <br />culture and historical heritage. Downtown Riverside is a walking museum filled with statues of <br />notable figures, including Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Dosan Ahn Chang Ho, Eliza <br />Tibbets, Cesar Chavez, and Ysmael "Smiley" Villegas. <br />Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) was the nation's most prominent leader in the 20th century <br />struggle for civil rights. He was born in the segregated south of Atlanta, Georgia and after <br />graduating from Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, and Boston University he <br />entered the Christian ministry. In 1954, he joined the leadership of the local NAACP chapter, the <br />Montgomery Improvement Association, and helped create the Southern Christian Leadership <br />Conference (SCLC), an organization formed to provide leadership for the burgeoning civil rights <br />movement. In 1963, he was one of the organizers for the March on Washington and the following <br />year he received the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1965, King helped to organize the Selma to <br />